The Jian Bird
by Atospirit
Summary: The Jian Bird can never be separated. They may be torn apart but will always find a way to fly again together. This is my version of Darling in the FRANXX. Hiro will have to remember his forgotten past to reunite with Zero Two; and embrace what he truly is in order to forever be united with his mate. With the help of a dying race and Squad 13 can he save humanity from extinction?
1. Chapter 1: Contact

**Authors Note:** Hello and welcome to my fanfiction I am calling the Jian Bird. In this adventure, I will be telling my version of DARLING in the FRANXX. One of the key differences with my story is that certain events throughout the story will trigger Hiro's memory of his and Zero Two's past. So after the first few chapters, we will be in completely open waters and away from the events of the anime. Just to put your minds at ease (spoilers) I will be giving these two the happy ending that many fans of the series wanted. I will also be dropping a very unnecessary plot twist from the ending arc of the show.

I would like to apologize in advance for any grammar or writing errors. I have never written in a creative way before. So if things sound strange or clunky then please let me know so that I can improve. This is a learning experience for me; so constructive criticisms would be most appreciated.

 **As a general disclaimer, this story will feature content of a sexual nature.** All distributions and or acts of this nature will be necessary to the overarching narrative. DARLING in the FRANXX is a story of self-discovery and the blossoming romance of a fated pair. I really enjoy DitF and will be treating these characters with the respect that they deserve. If you have any further questions leave them in the comments below.

Please note that if a passage is _italicized_ it means its a memory of previous events. I hope this clears up any confusion.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The Jian Bird, also known as the bird that shares wings. Unless a male and female find a partner they are forever grounded. To me, however, their way of life struck me as profoundly beautiful.

"Why are you taking me to Plantation 13?" Zero Two asked for probably the hundredth time.

Dr. Franxx's sighed. "Rectifying a mistake I made years ago."

He closed his eyes and prayed that she wouldn't keep pressing the matter.

"But why to Plantation 13?" She fired back. "You and Papa have paraded me around my whole life. Why take me to Plantation 13 now?"

"I swear if you were't my…." He muttered under his breath.

"What?" She fired back.

The pour soul that was strapped wounded and drained next to her grunted in annoyance.

"You shut up." Zero Two spat back. "I can drain the last of you here and now if you want."

He sighed and reached into his pocket to find some candy to try and appease Zero Two tendency to lash out. Finding it he turned in his chair.

"Here." He said tossing it to her. "It's honey favored. Now would you please be quiet, before I change my mind about taking you here."

"I'd rather have a shower." The girl muttered, peeling off the candy wrapper.

"Plantation 13 as a few lakes, you can swim in one of them." He replied shaking his head.

The pilot in the front called over the loud speaker. "We will be landing shortly. Please fasten your seat belts."

A communicator buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out he answered. "Yes Nana."

"Sir." Plantation 13's female administrator replied. "Hachi reports everything is ready."

"Very good." Glancing back he looked at Zero Two as she sulked, sucking on her loll pop. "I have what we need. Make sure that Code 016 is in position."

* * *

Hiro hated being helpless. It was a feeling he was all too familiar with, but he hated it all the same. Of course, he had to fail the parasite test. It was the one thing he had been training for his whole life and he still failed. What made it even worse is that he had dragged his partner Naomi down with him.

She had been one of the more talented members of the squad and her skill at piloting a FRANXX was extraordinary. Which all begged the question as to why she had been paired with him of all people. The only thing that he had ever been able to pilot with any success, was the stupid training FRANXX. Which he had probably spent more time in then the rest of his squad combined.

His musings were interrupted by a buzzing from his pocket. He pulled out his commutator and activated its holographic display. He absently glanced through the message and was about to form some non-committal reply; when he heard the sound of something impacting the glass dome nearby.

Glad of the excuse not to answer, he quickly sat up and pocketed the device, before hurrying up the nearby hill. When he reached the top he found an ominous red stain splatter over the glass. Examining it, told him that it was blood; but where it had come from he was unsure.

As if in answer he heard the pained squawking of its owner behind him. Turning he noticed one of the local birds was sprawled in the grass; its now wounded wings flapping feebly as it tried to move. His heart went out to the little creature. It would be forever trapped in this glass cage no matter how hard it tried to leave. In a vain attempt at assistance, he lowered his hands. The bird however just squawked and flapped feebly into the air and disappeared over the crest of the hill.

Before he could do anything but protest, the loud whirring of engines become audible above him. Shielding his eyes against the sun, he glanced upwards and saw one of APE's massive transport jets. The appearance of the jet was an uncommon sight. Usually, those jets were reserved for the giant mechanical FRANXXs, that were used to fight the biomechanical menace what was the Klaxosaurs. However, all the current members of Squad 13 already had their FRANXXs so what the jet was doing here he was uncertain of.

Sighing, he started off following the trail of blood left by the wounded bird. It was several minutes before he noticed that the trail had led him to a lake in the middle of the woods.

"I never knew there was a place like this." He muttered to himself

Stopping, he cast his gaze over the clearing. He was about to turn around when he spotted, a pile of clothing resting on a deformed old tree. Walking over to it, he bent over and examined it.

"Is this a parasite uniform?" "Strange it looks nothing like ours."

He curiously picked up the piece from the top; which after a few moments he decided was underwear. Quickly, he realized that this was a very compromising position. He was about to move to put it back when the sound of splashing coming from the middle of the lake stopped him.

Turning he saw the silhouette of a nude girl, swimming in the center of the lake. Blushing profusely he quickly turned his head away and hid his eyes. The sound of splashing had stopped however; so slowly he looked up and saw the lake had gone as smooth as a sheet of glass.

The seconds crawled by, and still, there was no sign of the girl resurfacing.

Giving a start of surprise he yelled out.

"No Way! Is she drowning?!"

Immediately he charged off into the lake his legs pumping as the water slowed his stride.

"I've gotta help her!"

He had only gotten a few steps however when the girl with a fish in her mouth, burst into the air from the water in front of him.

It only took seconds for him the realization that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Nude as the day she was born; her perfect curves were on full display. Her light pink hair flapped like wings around her, and her eyes were a rich shade of Jade green. The thing that really completed her spell on him however, was the two crimson horns protruding from the top of her head.

He stood transfixed, his eye glued to her beauty. Only when she spit out the fish and stroud forward to examine him did his brain finally grind back into gear.

"N-N-N-N-NAKED!?" He stuttered in a panicked voice. Desperately he slammed his eyes shut and turned his head away from her.

"Oh. And here I thought you were dead." She said somewhat lazily; as she walked back to the shore.

"A-Are you a parasite?" He asked, trying to regain his composure. "Why are you bathing here?"

Licking herself the girl replied "Because I wanted to, and plus the water is nice and refreshing."

His heart began pounding in his chest. For some very odd reason this girl was energizing him like nobody had ever had before. It was so strange. For some reason he felt connected to this girl, but why he did was still a mystery.

"Aren't you going to swim?" She inquired curiously.

"Huh?" "Me?" "Nah, I'm good." Was his confused reply, as he made his way back towards the shore.

"Really?" "But it feels so good and you were staring so hard, I thought you wanted to swim, too."

"Th-That's because I thought you were drowning." He said quickly, his hands making a placating gesture "So I jumped in to save you, and…." His voice trailed off and he turned away as he realized that she was still naked. "S-Sorry, but could you put your clothes back on?" He requested meekly.

She brought her hand up to her chin as if pondering and then bring her fist down into the palm of her other hand she said in a slightly triumphant voice. "Oh, I get it! She pointed at him dramatically "You're a pervert"

"W-W-W-WHAT!"

"Where'd that come from?" Came his incredulous reply

She lowered her pointing finger to his hand, which he then followed with his eye, only to realize far too late that he was still holding her underwear.

"This isn't what it looks like!" He exclaimed in surprised horror, as he desperately tried to rid himself of the undergarment. Feeling his cheeks burn like the sun he held them out to her.

To his astonishment however she burst out laughing and began clutching her sides.

"Your face was priceless!" She wheezed still fighting to regain control of herself.

"But you jumped in to save me, huh?" She said once she had calmed down. "Thanks, I appreciate that." And flashed him a cheeky smile.

He turned around to give her some privacy as she changed back into her clothing.

"That uniform… Are you a parasite, too?" She inquired

"No." He said dejectedly, picking up a stone.

"So you don't pilot?" She asked

"I can't pilot. I no longer have the ability." Came his meek reply. He threw the stone and almost as an afterthought he added. "I even dragged my partner down with me." The stone made a splash as it hit the water and sank below the surface. "I no longer have a place here anymore."

"Huh. So you're just like me." She stated.

That statement piqued is curiosity. Lifting his head he turned to look at her.

"I'm always along, too. Thanks to these horns." She stated while putting on a headband that seemed to secure itself to her horns with a little click.

"If you don't belong here, just build a place where you do." She continued. "If you don't have a partner, just find another."

Raising her hands like claws she started forward and grabbed him while saying "And if you can't." Her face flashing with an almost hungry expression. "Take one by force!"

Leaning forward she licked his cheek. Taken by surprise and with her full wait on him, he collapsed back into the edge of the lake. The strange girl following him down with her arms landing near either side of his head.

The atmosphere around him for the most fleeting of moments changed as she stared hungrily at him.

"Wow, your taste makes my hear race." She said hungrily "It bits and lingers. The taste of danger."

"Wh-What are you…" He started

"Would have you preferred a kiss?" She said ignoring him; her voice sliding back into its usual tone.

"A kiss?" he asked confused

"Oh, you guys don't know, huh?" She said.

Leaning down to his ear she whispered. "It's a very special thing."

Standing back up she stated. "I think I've taken a liking to you. Won't you be my Darling?"

"D-Darling? You mean Partner?" He asked confused

"Your ability's probably just still dormant. I can awaken it for you." She stated holding out her hand. "And you weren't frightened by my horns."

Was this his chance? His chance to reverse everything and become a pilot like the rest of his squad mates. He reached out his hand shaking, uncertain that it would work; but confident that it was better than doing nothing.

A rustling from the tree behind them broke the magic and she retracted her hand.

"Too Bad." She stated her voice growing cold. "Time's up."

She turned away, looking towards a wounded man and a small squad of plantation forces that had just come out into the clearing.

"We've been looking for you." the wounded man said annoyed. " Why do you keep running off alone."

"It's not like there's anything to do until tomorrow's welcoming ceremony." Her body poster and tone indicating that this was a less than welcome interruption.

"Well, as your partner, I am the one who suffers for it." The man said and roughly situated a hat on her head; making sure it covered her horns.

"Partner?" He muttered to himself an odd emotion sparking in his chest.

The man turned to him and asked. "Are you a parasite cadet?" Not waiting for a reply the man plowed on. "Your welcoming ceremony's tomorrow, correct? Sorry, she bothered you."

The plantation security forces were wrapping a coat around her and talking to her in hushed but stern voices.

"It's okay." He muttered

In a louder and slightly more desperate voice, he asked. " Um, what did you mean by partner?"

"Let me give you some advice" came the man's irritated voice. "Stay as far away from her as you can." The man turned and the group began to walk away as he said over his shoulder. "She's not the kind of pistil that just anyone can handle."

His brain was going into overdrive trying to think of something to say.

"Your name!" He blurted out. " What's your name?"

"Name?" Said the girl not turning around. "Do we parasites even have names?"

His heart fell. Of course, he had forgotten that outside of Squad 13 none of the parasites have names just codes to identify their aptitude.

"Well, my code is 002." "Everyone calls me Zero Two."

Pain blinded him as a memory of events long forgotten surged to the forefront of his mind. Images, sights, feelings, sensations, sounds, drowned him and it has all we could do to keep from crying out.

 _"Code 002." He muttered. "Wow… I've never seen a code in the single digits before." He looked up at her. "You're really amazing, having a code this low is unheard of." He sat and thought for a moment. "You know…. Back at the orphanage, I gave everybody their own names." He paused for a moment and looked up at her. "Do you want one?"_

 _Curiously she tilted her head and stared at him with her beautiful eyes._

 _Hoping that was her form of consent, he pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Code 002…. Hmm… Oni... No that's dumb…Umm, Zero Two?" He shook his head. "That's a little unoriginal…Hmm"_

 _Before he could change his mind however, the girl shouted out. "Eo To! Eo To!"_

 _He gave the girl an amused smile. "I should have thought of a better name. Sigh…"_

 _Then looking into her beautiful eyes he said. "Well, I guess it's official." A big smile spread across his face. "Zero Two."_

Abruptly, he snapped back to reality with the realization that the plantation guards were half leading, half hauling him towards what looked like the parasite administration building. Quickly he looked around and noticed that Zero Two and the plantations security forces were nowhere to be found.

The guards stopped at the entrance and shoved him forward. "The administrator is waiting for you inside." One of the guards said in his flat voice.

Without saying a word he made his way through to the room where the administrator's desk was located. Naomi was seated next to it, and was staring at the wall with a dejected look on her face. He opened his mouth to speak but the door opened and the sound of the administrators urged him forwards before he could think of anything to say.

Taking the seat provided he waited; noticing that the male administrator Hachi was the one seated across from him. Hiro knew what this was about; any parasite team that failed to pass the parasite test would be sent back to the orphanage where they grew up.

Interrupting his thoughts and without any form of permeably Hachi began speaking. "You and your partner are scheduled to leave for the orphanage in twenty minutes."

"Understood," he replied dryly

Hachi's next words, however, caught him slightly off guard "Code 016, you have been given special permission from HQ to remain here in Mistleteinn."

"Why." He asked, alarm bells popping up in his head. Papa and APE protected and looked after the children but they weren't known for doing unnecessary things.

"I am not privy to that information." Replied Hachi

For a few fleeting moments, he thought about staying. He came to the realization however that it would be useless. Zero Two was probably long gone, and sitting around being dead weight for his friends in Squad 13 would have been only made things worse.

"I will leave with Naomi." He heard himself say.

"Very well. Code 703 is waiting for you outside. Guards will escort the both of you to the transport station." Came Hachi voice.

Walking out of the room Naomi, was crying on a bench just outside. He couldn't help but feel like an absolute jerk. It was his fault that they had failed and he was the one who was offered to stay. He tried not to think of that day but in his guilt, it came back sharp as ever.

 _A robotic feminine voice began speaking. "Positive pulse and P-Factor dropping. Time Out. Commencing stage six linking. Measuring ability score. Negative pulse detected. Positive pulse on standby. Three. Two. One.. Timed out." Mercilessly the test moderator's voice spoke ."Code 703 and Code 016. You Fail"_

* * *

When they arrived at the station he took the place on the opposite side of the loading ramp walkway. Looking right, he saw a group of transport spheres crawling their way towards the station.

"You should've stayed, Hiro." Came Naomi's soft voice. "Did you refuse because of me?"

"It's not like I'd be of any use if I stayed." He said mechanically.

"You've always been like that." She countered quietly. "You're just running away. From your partner, and from yourself." She continued talking however her voice started taking on slightly desperate tone. "You remember how many of our friends disappeared from the orphanage, right? There's no telling if we could end up just like them."

He turned his lips trying to form a reply but she plowed on without giving him time.

"So don't try to play the hero!" She yelled dropping the briefcase she had been carrying. "Who cares if it's favoritism? You're lucky you have a chance to stay at all!" Crying she continued. " We've made it so far! I would definitely stay, even if it killed me!

He barely heard the guard tell them to stop talking.

"Naomi…." Was the only thing his pathetic brain could think to say.

Naomi continued still sobbing. " Why… Why did you have to be my partner?"

There was nothing he could say to that. The consequences of his failure were now magnified a hundredfold, and all she did was utter a single sentence. Desperately he tried thinking of anything else. He thought of his Squadmates who were scheduled to sortie for the first time in their real FRANXXs; while he and Naomi left for the orphanage. He desperately clung that thought and held it in his mind. Still holding on he imaged what it would be like to fight, to protect, and to fly with them.

The giant transport sphere arrived at the dock and opened its doors for him to enter. A cage he thought, as he followed Naomi towards the doors. A cage where he could never fly or be free ever again.

Naomi stopped at the door and turn abruptly on her heels to face him.

"Well, take care, Hiro. I don't think we'll ever see each other again." She said sadly.

Startled, a protest began forming in his mouth, but she cut him off. "I'm done now, but you still have a chance. You don't have to factor me into your decisions anymore."

"Wait a second, Naomi!" He exclaimed as he started forward. But before he could take more than a few steps she threw her briefcase directly at him. Catching it and falling back he landed with a loud thud on the ramp. "What are you doing?" He cried in desperation.

"I don't need those things anymore. Make sure to share them with everyone" Came her reply a hit of sadness entering her voice. "You know, I really like the name you gave me." And with one final sob, she added. "Hiro, I hope you find a good partner."

The transport sphere's doors slammed shut; sealing her off from him, and the rest of the outside world.

"Naomi…" He cried leaping forward.

The hadn't even gotten a full step when the plantations guards caught him.

"Don't! You can take the next transport and still make it!" The guard said struggling to keep Hiro, from leaping at the door. The guard let him go when he finally stopped struggling as the transport cleared the station.

Stepping to the edge of the ramp he waited for the next sphere to crawl its way into place. Turning his head he watched as the transport containing Naomi began to get further and further away.

His sphere crawled up and opened its doors. Before he could take a step however something made him hesitant. Was following her the best idea? Up until now, he was certain, but now worms of doubt start creeping into his mind. Maybe that strange girl Zero Two was actually still around. Maybe Naomi was right. What if he did have a purpose here? Papa woudn't have offered him a place without a reason right?

"What's the matter? Get in already." Came the guards voice from a long way off.

Stepping back he turned to the guard and said. "Uh, I think I'll stay." His last word was cut off however as a tremendous crash cleaved the air.

"What was that?" he said startled. Looking off to where the transports were crawling their way off towards the horizon. Staring in horror he saw two massive blue and black glowing spikes emerge from the ground on either side of the transport that contained… But before he could complete his thought, the whole ground that the transport was crawling on burst up as something emerged beneath it. He watched in horror as the transport was tossed up into the air and then crashed to the ground breaking into a thousand little pieces.

"Naomi!" He screamed helplessly. But were Naomi once was stood one of the biomechanical menaces that were known as the Klaxosaurs. Screaming its challenge it started forwards towards the Plantation.

Distantly he heard the Plantation guard yell. "It a Klaxosaur! Ready intercepting fire!" The sound of intercept canons deploying and firing erupted violently from the plantation behind him.

The cannons rained their fury down upon the Klaxosaur but to little effect. The Klaxosaur simple walked forward a few more massive steps and swiped its gargantuan tail across the surface of the plantation. In the process of taking out the intercept cannons, the tail hit the loading dock where he was located. He desperately grabbed the railing next to him as the dock was bent up and thrown out of the way.

By some miraculous stroke of luck, the dock hit the walkway that curved around the plantation. Breathing a sigh of relief, he was able to drop from the railing to the surface of the walkway. Dully he noted that Naomi's briefcase had fallen beside him as he crashed to safety.

His momentary relief was over however and he saw as the Klaxosaur began turning to make its way to where his squadmates would be receiving their FRANXX's.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed. Sprinting with all his might to try and keep up with the Klaxosaur's massive steps. The Klaxosaur quickly pulled ahead however and left only a massive cloud of dust in its wake. Swearing he kept running his body running on pure adrenaline as he tried desperately to catch up. Through all the dust and screeching of shattering metal, he didn't hear or see the white, four-legged FRANXX, run by until it was right on top of him.

"Another Klaxosaur?!" He gasped startled. But before he could do more than express his surprise it was swallowed up in the cloud of dust.

Up ahead he heard the shouting of people and the awful sound of metal being forcefully torn apart. This all stopped abruptly when the air rang with the sound of something being slammed forcefully into the ground. It was then immediately followed only moments later by agonized roars of rage and pain.

Rounding the bend, he launched himself towards the railing. When he reached the railing however his mouth fell open in shock. The massive black and blue Klaxosaur was facing down what looked to be a white FRANXX with four legs. He watched as the Klaxosaur charged up a massive beam weapon and shot it at the FRANXX. Bracing the FRANXX flipped it's tail forward splitting the beam and dissipating it with a massive explosion.

Coughing he looked up again and screamed in terror was the four-legged FRANXX flew through the air towards him. With a leap, he barely made it out of the FRANXX's way before it smashed into the walkway.

"Ow.. What the hell was that?" He said rubbing his head.

In response, the body of a man covered in red blood hit the ground in front of him.

"H-Hey.. Are you alright!?" He said crawling forwards to help the man.

"Forget about him. He's done for." Said a familiar voice.

Looking up he saw that Zero Two wearing a skin-tight red parasite uniform was leaning exhausted in the doorway to the cockpit.

Standing he said, "What are you doing in there?" Equal parts concern and confusion entering his voice.

Turning her head to look at him, he saw that the whole right side of her face was covered in dark red blood. What he thought was odd however was that there was a strange blue substance running down her left cheek.

"What, you have to ask? I'm going monster hunting, of course." She replied as if stating the obvious, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts.

"You're going to pilot this robot alone?" His voice filled with bemusement.

"I gotta go." She said ignoring him and getting up awkwardly she turned to head back inside.

"W-Wait a second" he cried leaping forward and grabbing her arm. "You can't! You're hurt!"

"Out of my way!" She panted slapping his hand away.

"This is insanity. Besides, you're by yourself now. FRANXXs can't be piloted alone." He said trying to reason with her.

"I'm always alone." Came her sad reply. "That's how it's always been. I'm used to it."

"No! You'll die!" He yelled his desperation mounting.

"I'm not afraid of death." She countered softly. "That thing's going to start moving again eventually. And when it does, everyone here is gonna die either way."

"I'm not afraid of death and I have a job to do." She said starting forward. "I'm going."

He wouldn't let her go. Not alone. He was powerless, unable to help his friends, and unable to fight the Klaxosaurs. But this girl needed him. It didn't matter if he only had one wing. If he could use it to help her fly; even for just a little bit longer, than he would do it.

"Wait." He commanded. "I'll pilot that robot with you. I'm not about to let you go alone."

"Oh?" She inquired curiously turning to face him, "Are you prepared to die?"

"I don't know." He replied. "But as I am now, I don't belong anywhere. That's no different from being dead."

Straightening up and looking her straight in her beautiful eye's, he demanded with all the strength that he possessed "So take me with you!"

"Huh.. You really are just like me." She said quietly. "You and I are very similar. It's been a long time since I last saw a human cry"

Reaching out she caught one of the tears that had started to fail down his cheek and added in a louder voice. "I like the look in your eyes. It makes my heart race."

"Now come to me." She said while grabbing his hand and pulling him bodily into the cockpit.

As they fell towards the cockpit chair she said with a smile "Let me get a tased of you. You are now…" "My darling!" Landing in the seat she pulled him close and kissed him hungrily.

It was the most addicting thing he had ever experienced! Her lips were as soft as a dove and her mouth tasted as if it contained the sweetest honey in the world. Her tongue shot forward as she began to feed off his desire, and he replied with equal enthusiasm trying to lap up that sweet honey that he found so enticing.

As he continued to kiss her; he felt his blood burn. His whole body surged with a power far stronger than he had ever experience. This power, however, didn't feel foreign and it felt as if it had always been apart of him; just locked away.

Their minds begin to sync; positive and negative pulses soaring to the max within seconds as the FRANXX came alive around him.

[STRELIZIA - ACTIVATED]

[STRELIZIA - ACTIVATED]

[STRELIZA - ACTIVATED]

The FRANXX came alive unfolding from its four-legged bestial form and transforming into the blindly white Iron Maiden. Unsheathing its massive magma spear, the FRANXX flew at the now charging Klaxosaur and drove the point straight through to its core. The Klaxosaur exploded in a massive cloud of blue blood which fell like rain as it's blue and gold core slid off the tip of the spear.

* * *

Hiro returned to his own mind panting a few minutes later. The effort of piloting the FRANXX with the ferocity that they had leaving him breathless. Although he was winded he felt that something deep inside him had changed. His once caged mind felt open and as though could fly anywhere he wanted to.

Looking around he spotted Zero Two smiling at him from the pistil's seat situated in front of him.

"That was quite expressive." She said approvingly. "I don't think I have had anyone with your potential before."

"Thanks," he said breathlessly.

Shakily he got up and began to walk towards the now open cockpit door. His legs, however, gave way after only a few steps. Luckily Zero Two was quite fast. She grabbed his arm and placed it around her neck before he hit the ground. Leaning on her they made their way through the door and stood on the face plate of the FRANXX. She lowered him gently to the floor and he sat leaning his back lean against the door.

In his exhausted state he never heard her whisper softly to herself. "Found you. Darling"

* * *

 **Author note:**

Thank you for reading the first chapter of the Jian Bird.

One question I have is that later in this story a certain sexual act needs to take place. I would like to know if I should describe this in a (Lemon) chapter or just imply that it happened. Feedback on this question would be appreciated.

If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to let me know.


	2. Chapter 2: Squad 13

**Authors Note:** Thank you for your support on the previous chapter. Before we begin I would like to address a concern I have seen voiced by some readers. Some fear that this Fanfiction is going to be a copy of the anime. These opening chapters are a build up as Hiro starts to unlock more of his memories. Eventually, enough events will take place that the story will diverge and no longer resemble the show. Just as a sneak peek I have about 25 chapters planned. So at the rate of changes that we are going, we won't remain with the anime for much longer.

 **Special announcement:** Some later chapters will include links to concept art for events and or characters that come up later in the story.

Thank you for your continued support and enjoy The Jian Bird Chapter 2: Squad 13.

* * *

Goro was stunned as were the rest of members of Squad 13. His friend Hiro, was the last person he had excepted to emerge from that FRANXX. Wasn't he supposed to be on his way to the orphanage? And who was that beside him; that wasn't Naomi. There were so many questions that he needed answers to.

"Hiro!?" Cried his surprised partner Ichigo.

"That impossible!" Came the arrogant retort of Zorome.

Luckily for Goro the Plantation administrators Hachi and Nana were running towards the group now gathered around the deactivated FRANXX. Turning he began to formulate one of his many questions that he was dying to ask, when Ichigo burst out "Is Hiro alright?!"

The female administrator Nana gave the vaguest answer she could possibly give in his opinion. "We are unsure."

Well, that was helpful he thought irritably. Not only was he confused but now he had to add concern for his friend to the list.

He watched as the girl supporting Hiro lowered him to the floor of the faceplate. Still staring at her he watched as she tucked her pink hair behind her ear and turned her head to look at Hiro. That was when he noticed the two small crimson horns protruding from just above her forehead. "Who is that girl?" he pondered aloud.

"That's Zero Two." Came a voice from behind him.

Jumping about a foot in the air and scared half to death he spun around. Behind him was Dr. Franxx; a bent over old man with half a mechanical face. If it had been anyone else when he would have cursed them into oblivion; but seeing how Dr. Franxx, was the inventor of the FRANXXs he thought that might be a bad and potentially dangerous idea.

"Wait a minute. She's not the Zero Two that supposedly kills her partner's is she." Miku interjected startled.

Surely, she doesn't actually kill her partner though; does she!?" Yelped a scared Kokoro.

"I heard that if she rides with any Stamen for three times then they die." Was Misturu's unconcerned reply.

"He looks fine though." Kokoro's partner Furoshi contributed.

Goro and the rest of the squad turned expectantly towards Dr. Franxx; hoping that he would fill in the details by answering their questions.

"I guess we should go and ask him." Stated the doctor leaning on his walking stick as he began to plod his way forward.

His attention solely focused on their conversation; he hadn't realized that while they had been talking Hiro and that mysterious girl Zero Two had made their way down to the ground. He and Ichigo were the first ones over; questions of concern bursting from their lips before they had even arrived.

"Are you alright!?" Both he and Ichigo demanded as they skidded to a halt right in front of Hiro.

"Yes, I'm fine." Was Hiro's reply has he waved for them to calm down. "I was never in any danger."

He and Ichigo quickly looked at each other both thinking the exact same thing and simultaneously agreeing that this was not the right time to bring it up.

When he returned his gaze to normal he noticed that Zero Two was looking at Hiro with an odd expression on her face. Her face seemed to be a mix of surprise, longing, and desperation all mixed into one. By now the rest of the squad had caught up and had questions of their own. Hiro answered them all smiling and reassuring. Goro noticed however that Hiro never truly gave them his full attention and his teal green eyes seemed to keep wandering back to that mysterious girl. I wonder how these two had met? He was almost certain that he had never seen anyone with horns, either at the orphanage or Plantation 13.

"Wheres Naomi?" Inquired Ikuno suddenly.

He watched as pain spread over Hiro's face and Goro knew that whatever the answer was it wasn't good.

"I.. Don't know." Hiro finally replied, his voiced shaking with emotion. "She didn't let me enter the transport with her and." Hiro gathered himself and continued. "When the Klaxosaur attacked it, it destroyed the transport she was in."

The group fell silent as the impact of what Hiro had just said hit them like a ton of bricks.

"So she's dead?" Came Miku's sad voice; sounding as if she didn't want to believe it.

"That would be the safest guess." Her partner Zorome replied sadly.

He and the rest of the group were silent for a few minutes; each processing in their own way, the loss of one of their squad mates. Her presence would be sorely missed. Naomi had never been the center of attention but her kindness and willingness to lend support had made her an important part of everyone's lives. He knew this would be an especially hard blow for Ikuno since her and Naomi had always been close and got along especially well.

Their melancholy was interrupted by the return of the plantation administrators who had just got back from investigating the deactivated FRANXX.

"It's time to return to the plantation." Came the voice of Hachi.

Silently the group started to make their way back towards the plantation. The ghost of the one no longer with them almost hanging in the air.

* * *

 _"_ _Sir we have erased Code *1* .s. However there are fragments of Code **2 that we cannot era..e." "tRy.. again THey are…unnecessary noise." "Sir a second time may damage … brain." "Very well; leave them for now. I will make my final decision later."_

 _"_ _My first pretty thing." "Da….. li..g."_

The warm morning sun was shining through the window to the boy's dorm; it's gentle rays slowly urging him awake. Hiro groggily opened his eyes and stared up at the bunk above him. He had just had the strangest dream. All he remembered of his dream were broken fragments of voices but who they belonged to was still a mystery. What he found odd however was that most of his normal dreams were abstract and very hard to piece together after the fact. This dream, however; or at least the pieces he could remember were vividly clear and easy to understand.

Sighing he got up and notice that all of the beds were empty. Grabbing his clothes from the dispenser he put them on; taking extra care to make sure everything was neat and that nothing was bent out of shape. He wasn't sure why he had the sudden urge to do this but something told him that he should. Once he was finished he stopped at the wall mirror that hung by the door. His wild jet black hair framed his face and his eyes were their usually shaded of teal green.

Satisfied he made his way to the door and opening it walked out into the hall. Before he descended the stairs he stopped at a picture of Squad 13 on the wall. He looked at everyone's smiling face until his eyes came to rest on Naomi. She looked so innocent in this picture. Her chestnut brown hair and eyes were matched only be her kind smile.

"You deserved better than me." He said sadly to the picture. "If I'd only have been more capable then perhaps you would have been spared."

Sighing he turned away and began to make his way down the stairs towards the entrance hall. It felt like it took forever but finally, he reached the bottom.

"Are you feeling alright." He heard someone call. Turning he saw his friend Ichigo descending the stars behind him. As per usual her, navy blue hair was arranged so that it hung by the right side of her face and her eyes sparkled their usual lime green.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Was his offhand reply.

"Come on, I know you better than that." She insisted.

"I was just thinking of Naomi." He said sadly. "Tell me have the administrators said anything about the crash?"

"They have actually." Ichigo said hesitantly; sounding as if she wished that she didn't have to answer. She took a deep breath and continued. "The search teams haven't been able to find anything except the wreckage. They have even searched the surrounding area and there is not a trace of her anywhere. "

Sighing the only reply he could come up with was. "Well if they do, please let me know."

"Of course." She said immediately.

Turning he began to make his way towards the mess hall. Trying to think of anything except Naomi he wondered if Zero Two was still around and if he would see her again. After they had defeated the Klaxosaur she had been collected by a group of plantations guards and he hadn't seen her since. Papa must really want to keep an eye on her since every time she got out of their grasp, guards never seemed to be very far behind.

He was only a few feet away from the door to the mess hall when Goro stuck his head out. Goro liked to keep his short yellow hair wild, and he wore narrow lensed glasses which framed his hazelnut eyes.

"Hey Hiro get in here, that girl is in our mess hall." Goro said quickly.

Hiro heard Ichigo's sharp intake of breath from behind him before he started forward to investigate if what Goro said was true. Sure enough, there was Zero Two sitting with a table to herself and looking preoccupied but very pleased. Walking a few more steps he saw that she was pouring a giant jug of honey over everything on her plate. It didn't matter if it was ham, sausage, bread, or fruit; if it was on her plate then it was covered in a liberal coating of honey. He watched in fascination as she picked up a massive slab of honey dripping ham and stuffed it into her mouth. Although he found the action quite endearing and secretly wanted to try it himself; he heard whispers of disgust and confusion from several members of the squad. Taking his seat he continued to watch as she poured more honey on a bun and stuffed that in her mouth too. Still transfixed by her he watched as she intently licked all the honey from her right hand.

"Hopefully she doesn't ruin her good looks with the ways she's eating." His friend Goro commented.

"I can't believe all her injuries healed so quickly." He said as a way of response.

Realizing what he had just said his immediate thought was. "Wait a minute her injuries are healed!" He screwed up his face in concentration trying to remember back to their meeting on the walkway. "Hadn't she been bleeding?" Turning his head he looked her up and down and couldn't find a single cut, scratch, or blemish of any kind. "I could have sworn that she had been injured." He thought to himself.

His mussing were interrupted by the sound of Zorome's voice who had just walked over and stood beside Zero Two.

"Hey there." He said, his arrogant voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Hiro's ears. "It was a real treat to watch your skills in action. If you so desire I, Zorome the Great, shall most graciously ride with you. I am sure that I could outperform with ease whatever merger skill that wuss was able to accomplish."

Hiro was not going to listen to the rest of this. He gritted his teeth and turned away as the sudden urge to punch that arrogant brat, came over him like a wave crashing against the shore. He knew that Zorome had problems with his self-esteem and was constantly looking for people, most of all Papa, to verify his achievements. His appearance even exacerbated this problem in Hiro's opinion. Zorome had extravagant purple eyes and wild light brown hair that seemed to just be begging for attention. He also knew that Zorome's strong dislike of him was because Hiro was constantly given attention from the high ups due to his low code number. Even if he understood why Zorome might feel the way he did; he still found it really hard to try and forgive Zorome for hating him for something that he couldn't control.

"What do you think you are doing! These are my best pair of clothes!" Shrieked Zorome.

Hiro smirked to himself. He didn't know what Zero Two had done but anything that made Zorome give that reaction he approved of. Lost in his amusement of the whole situation he didn't notice that Zero Two had moved until she scooted onto the chair he was sitting on.

He started in surprise and was about to ask a question when Zero Two began to speak. "This is much better. Let's eat together, okay?"

She grabbed the honey jar from the table in front of them and began to pour it over his food; her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth as she worked. After she was satisfied she dipped the tip of her finger into the honey and popped it in her mouth.

"Um, Zero Two, would you let me pilot your FRANXX again?" He asked after a moments pause.

"Of course." She said immediately; removing her finger from mouth. "After all you are my partner." "Darling." Seductively tracing his lips with her finger as she said the last word.

"D-Darling?" The squad repeated in confusion.

Although he heard the rest of the squad question amongst themselves; his whole attention was focused entirely on Zero Two and her smile. He was forced to look away however when Nana walked into the mess hall.

"Alright everybody, settle down I have some announcements to make." Smiling she said. "First, I have been assigned as your caretaker just like I was back at the orphanage." A general note of approval went around the room. "Secondly, you are scheduled to test drive in your real FRANXXs in an hour so don't be late." There was a buzz of excitement as everybody started talking to each other at once.

Hiro heard over the buzz of conversation Ichigo ask. "Nana is Hiro really going to be her partner."

Nana looked over at Zero Two and answered in a voice of somewhat irritation. "We're still awaiting orders from HQ on what to do with Zero Two. But for the moment, she has not been assigned a partner or a place among your squad." She made sure to add special emphasis to the last part of her sentence. "Now Zero Two come with me."

Before Hiro could do more than protest feebly, Zero Two got up and muttering walked over to the administrator. Getting up he asked the administrator. "If I am not her partner then what is my place in Squad 13?"

"Papa will give you your orders in due time. Please just sit tight until then." Nana replied softening her voice. She and Zero Two then walked out before he could ask anything more.

Disheartened he sat down and ate the food that Zero Two had cover in honey. This helped his mood quite a bit and he decided that while the rest of the Squad was doing their drive he would grab some extra practice in the training FRANXX. If the time did come when he was allowed to pilot with her then the least he could do was be prepared for it.

Once he was finished he left the mess hall and made his way towards the elevators that lead into the plantation. From there he would make his way towards the FRANXX center and find the changing room.

When the elevator arrived he stepped in and was about to close the door when Ichigo called to him. Looking up he saw her running towards the door. Quickly he jammed the hold button and waited for her to arrive.

"Thanks." She said, stepping in.

Hiro knew that Ichigo was squad leader and knew that because of this fact she liked to be one step ahead of everybody. She was probably going to the FRANXX center as well since the squad was on the verge of its first real test drive. The elevator was quiet until Ichigo broke the silence.

"Are you really going to pilot that FRANXX with her again." She asked

"Yes." He answered simply.

"You know, I have heard rumors about her." She said. "Supposedly none of her partners could ride with her more than three times." Continuing she said. "I don't know if its true but, I think, to be safe, you should stay away from her."

"If I can't pilot, I'm as good as dead anyway." He replied. Luckily for him, the elevator arrived at the landing and he had an excuse to depart from her since the boy's and girl's changing rooms were in opposite directions.

He should have been scared of Zero Two after what Ichigo had said but he wasn't. There was just something about that girl that fascinated him so much and he couldn't bring himself to be scared of her. If those rumors where true then she had probably been feared and hated her whole life. The monster that nobody wanted and everybody feared. He thought back to their first meeting. _"I'm always alone. Thanks to these horns."_ Her voice echoing in his mind. No! He wouldn't become another one of those people. He knew that somewhere deep down she was probably just as vulnerable and hurt as everyone else. She had just been forced to hide herself away and she needed someone to help her find her way out.

He arrived at the changing room and opened the door. Spotting his locker he walked over to it and began to take off his uniform. While he was doing this Mitsuru walked in and gave him his usual disinterested glare. Mitsuru's eyes were narrow and looked like two chips of hard flint. His slicked backed hair made him look even more like a condescending jerk. Mitsuru had always disliked Hiro and he wasn't quite sure why. Has far as he could remember he hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment.

Once he was finished undressing he grabbed his skin-tight parasite suit and pulled it on. Glad of his excuse to leave he exited back out the door he had come through and walked to the main lobby. Most of the areas here were off limits and even if they weren't the only reason a parasite might come here was to train. It was true that the lobby could lead to the launch bay but seeing how the changing rooms and briefing room had their own paths that lead straight to that location there was little it offered.

Walking over to the massive window that observed the training room he looked down. The familiar room was empty as he had expected. "Maybe someday all the time I spent in here will pay off." He thought. Walking over to a lift he descended until he reached the ground floor and then made his way over to the training FRANXXs. His usually FRANXX was available and ready for use. He had always been attached to this one. He wasn't sure why; it was the exact same as any of the others but if it was available he took it. "02." He said reading its designation number. "Thanks for bearing my failures for all these years. Hopefully just one more time my friend; just one more time." The last words he whispered almost as if praying.

Getting in he sat down at the controls and stretched his arms and neck. He was going to be here for a while. The rest of Squad 13 would be gone for most of the day as they got accustomed to their real FRANXXs. Today he needed to master the Mega-lance which was the only weapon available that was similar to the one that Zero Two's FRANXX used. Flecking his fingers he powered up the training FRANXX. The FRANXX hummed alive around him and grabbing the controls he took a few steps forward. Once he was in the center of the room he called out. "Computer. Activate Mega-lance training excise. Programs novice through master. Set difficulty to max." He twisted the control handles and the FRANXX reached out to grab the Mega-lance that had been provided.

"Program ready." A computerized female voice called back.

"Begin." He said.

* * *

"That's my Darling." Whispered Zero Two approvingly; as she quietly sat observing from the window above Hiro.

* * *

"Program complete. You have finished the Mega-lance training course." Sounded the computerized female voice.

Sighing he whipped the sweat from his brow. It had been a long day and he had only taken very short rests.

"Well, at least I am somewhat prepared." He said to himself. Turning he piloted the FRANXX back to its docking socket. Shutting down he opened the cockpit and got out. Looking at the clock on the wall he saw that he had been here for almost eight hours. Finally getting to the lift he rode it up until he reached the lobby. "The Squad should be back by now." He pondered as he walked his way back to the changing rooms. Quickly he got undressed and took a hot shower.

The water felt like heaven on his aching muscles and for a few seconds, he just stood there as the water fell over him. "The Mega-lance was a satisfying weapon to use." He thought to himself. "It was light enough that is could be wielded in one hand which allowed for quick blocks or counter attacks. But it also possessed enough weight for devastating power blows and savage thrusts."

When he had finished his shower he dried himself off and got dressed quickly. He needed to get back to Mistilteinn; his friends were probably wondering where he was and admittedly he probably had been gone for too long. Exiting he made his way towards the elevators. He was about to call the elevator when out of the corner of his eye he spotted Zero sitting next to a pole. When he walked over to her, he noticed that she was curled up in a ball with her head resting on her knees. She also appeared to be asleep because aside from her light breathing she wasn't moving. He was going to wake her up but instead gazed at her horns. This was the first time he had ever seen them this close. Her horns a pawn closer inspection had an almost crystalline structure and with their crimson red color, they almost looked like they were made of ruby. The only word that he could think to describe them was, beautiful.

"Darling, you pervert." She said softly interrupting his thoughts. "Quit staring."

"S-Sorry!" He said in surprise reeling back.

"It's fine. The doctor says that parasites are better off being a little pervy." She said with a smile.

"Still, why does that make me a pervert?" He asked halfheartedly.

Getting up she stretched and said. "I was tired of waiting for you. Let's go."

Turning, she made her way towards an exit off the main lobby.

"Huh? Where are we going?" He asked as he started off after her.

She didn't answer but continued walking down the corridor she had chosen. Up ahead was a security forcefield. Why she had picked this corridor caught him as odd since none of the parasites had the security clearance to pass through that field. When she reached it however she passed through without encountering any resistance at all. He made to do the same but as he originally predicted the forcefield refused to let him through and made a loud beep. Turning she looked questioningly at him.

"We children have restrictions on where we're allowed to go. Nearly all of this area is off-limits to us." He provided as a way of explanations.

"Oh?" Turning she held up her hand and smiled.

"Is that an S-class ID?" He said astonished.

Saying nothing she walked through the barrier again and put one arm around his waist and grabbed his hand with one of hers.

"Wh-What are you doing?" He asked confused.

"If we go through together, like this.." And in an almost waltz-like motion, they walked through the barrier.

"I got in!" He said astonished.

Letting go of him she ran forward a few steps and gave a little bow. "See? Piece of cake."

The door at the end of the hallway opened onto a vast balcony that overlooked a sparkling golden city.

"Wow! This is amazing!" He gasped. "How did you know about this place?" He continued still in astonishment.

"All the plantations have similar designs. This is nothing special." She said disinterestedly.

"Really? I've never set foot in the city before. All I have ever known is Mistilteinn and a few other facilities." He said still in somewhat awe.

"This is all just a mask to hide behind." She said with just a slight note of disgust in her voice.

The way she said those words caught Hiro as odd and for some reason; he got the feeling that she was talking about more than just the city.

"What is the mask hiding?" He inquired curiously.

"What humanity has become." She stated simply. "A series of dead one-way streets that lead nowhere."

With that, she jumped over the rail and onto a narrow beam that hung over the endless city. She walked forward until she was standing at the very end.

"That's not safe!" He shouted in horror. "Please come back over here."

"Say, darling." She said interrupting him and turning she looked him straight in the eye. "Do you wanna run away with me? I can get you out of here, darling."

"Get you out. Get you out. Get you out." Echoed through his mind.

 _Glass smashed. A little red figure wearing a black ragged coat was huddled in a corner of a blank room. A voice called from a branch outside. "Come with me! I can get you out of here!" A small pink hand reached forward almost pleading with the figure to come with him. "Please!"_

"Please! Please! Please!" Snapping back to reality he saw Zero Two cartwheeling on the beam toward him. Before she reached him she flipped into the air and landed next to him.

"Just kidding." She said sweetly.

"Don't do that ever again! You could have gotten yourself killed!" He said with more intensity then he had meant to.

A loud beeping came from his communicator before he could continue. Irritably he pulled it out and accepted the voice call that he had just been sent.

"Hello." He called into the communicator.

"Hiro." Called the voice of Nana. "Come to the briefing room; your squamates will meet you there."

"Roger." He called back and hung up.

Lifting his head he saw that Zero Two was looking at him with a strange look on her face. It was very difficult to read and kind of looked like it was a mixer of surprise, hope, and sorrow all at once.

"I shouldn't have shouted." He said apologetically. "I'm not sure what came over me."

"You're fine." She said in her usual tone. "In fact, I think this may be the first time anyone's ever worried about my safety before."

"Oh." He said lamely feeling the heat crawl up his face.

"Don't we have a meeting to get to?" She said teasing.

"Y-Yes. Of course. We should be going." He said recovering.

* * *

Squad 13 was already in the briefing room when they arrived. Silently he and Zero Two took a seat on one of the benches.

Without any preamble, Hachi began to speak. "We would like to confirm the piloting abilities of Code 016. So Code 016 is going to participate in a mock battle."

"A mock battle with me in an actual FRANXX?" Hiro said in surprise.

"Yes, that is correct." Answer Nana simply. "Based on how you perform here we're considering promoting you to a parasite."

"Congrats." Goro whispered from behind him.

"Thanks." He whispered back; still in some shock. This could be it. Would he finally be able to serve his purpose? Did this mean Zero Two was joining Squad 13? "I really hope that's the case." He thought to himself. Just at the thought of it, his heart started to beat a little faster.

As if a dream was coming true he heard Hachi say. "Pick your partner."

"I'll do it." Zero Two said before Hachi had even finished speaking.

"Zero Two." He said relieved.

"Well I mean, you are my darling." She said as if stating an obvious fact.

"One moment." Ichigo interrupted. "Let me be his partner."

"Ichigo?" He said aghast.

Ignoring him Ichigo plowed on. "She doesn't belong to our squad. Also, if you're only measuring Hiro's aptitude, then it should work with me as his partner."

"Then why does it have to be you?" Mitsuru said. "You already have Goro as a partner, and you want to ride with Hiro?"

"I agree with Ichigo." Goro interjected. "Ichigo has the highest aptitude numbers of the whole squad. If anybody can draw out or demonstrate Hiro's abilities it's her."

"That answer was ready way to quickly." Hiro thought to himself. He couldn't help but get the feeling that Goro and Ichigo knew what they were going to say long before they had ever gotten to this meeting. His question was "Why? Did they know something about Zero Two?" He doubted it. He had spent by far the most time with her compared to the rest of the squad.

"Pipe Down." Nana said. Interrupting his thoughts.

Nana directed her words at Zero Two. "HQ hasn't authorized the use of Strelizia. So Hiro will need to take the test with one of his squad.

"Well, that sucks." Zero Two said dryly.

Getting up she said. "Fine. My injuries haven't healed completely yet, anyway."

"Wait, what?" Hiro said surprise and concern entering his voice.

Ignoring him Zero Two walked over to Ichigo and said slyly. "I'll let you have him this time. Go for it." She then bent over and whispered something in Ichigo's ear before turning and leaving.

"So you'll handle it, right, Ichigo?" Nana said

"Yes, of course." Ichigo replied after a moments pause.

"Who will volunteer as their opponents?" Hachi asked.

"Me!" Zorome said instantly.

"Hey who died and made you boss?" His partner Miku said her attitude as fiery as her red hair.

"I'm gonna show 'em what I'm capable of." Zorome replied.

Sighing Miku said. "Fine, we'll do it."

"Done." Nana said quickly.

"The fight will be scheduled for tomorrow morning." Hachi began speaking.

"Wait! Let's do it right now." Zorome interjected.

"Very well." Hachi said tapping his datapad. " The necessary FRANXXs will be placed outside the plantation in thirty minutes. Don't be late."

* * *

Hiro stepped into the area that had been set up outside the plantation. Since Earth was nothing but a barren waste land that was only fit to be harvested for magma energy; all the administrators had to do was move the FRANXXs outside. Both the FRANXXs where kneeing at opposite ends of the area and waiting for their pilots.

Each FRANXX was designed to embody its female pilot, due to the fact that the females were the ones who interfaced directly with the FRANXX. The males filled a more guidance and support role. They were the ones who had the initiative with the controls so it was their job to be alert and know how to best use the FRANXX to its maximum potential. In an ideal world however, both the male and female aspects of the FRANXX would become one; and the FRANXX would be the embodiment of a combined mind. This was unheard of however since no parasite team had ever reached the sync rate required to achieve such a feat.

Ichigo was standing by her FRANXX Delphinium, and looking somewhat nervous. She was already in her skin tight parasite suit. All the female suits had the same design with a headpiece that functioned as a display and control handles that deployed from their legs when in use.

Slowly he made his way over to her. He wasn't sure how he felt about this whole ordeal. On one hand, he really wanted to prove that he was a capable parasite. On the other however, he felt that this was going to end in a similar way that it had every other time. He wondered why that the only person he had ever been able to sync with was Zero Two. The only reason he could think of is that Zero Two felt so familiar to him. But that made no sense since he had only met her a little over 24 hours ago. "Life does the strangest things." He muttered to himself.

"You ready?" Ichigo said when he had finally meandered his way over.

"Yep. Let's do this." He said with a smile.

They both walked over to the mobile lift that had been provided and began to ascend. From his rising vantage point, he saw Zero Two, Nana, Hachi, the members of Squad 13 who weren't participating, and. "Is that Dr. Franxx?" He said allowed.

Ichigo looked and yelped. "I think it is!"

"I wonder what he's doing here?" He pondered allowed.

"Beats me." She said confused.

They arrived that the Delphimium's head a few moments later. Reaching out Hiro touched his hand to the FRANXX. The hard metal felt cold and stiff beneath his hand. The faceplate to the FRANXX opened a few moments later revealing the entrance to the cockpit. The door opened and they took their places inside. Hiro sat at the back and Ichigo was kneeling on all fours in front of him.

"Alright, wuss lets see what you're made of" Called Zorome's voice over the communicator.

"Commence syncing." Hachi's voice called.

A few moments later he heard Zorome and Miku call. "Ready!"

Ichigo deployed the controls and activated her display. "Just focus on connecting, Hiro. I'll take care of the rest."

"Got it." He replied.

Reaching forward he grabbed the controls. The display on Ichigo's head came alive as her sync rate flew to the max. His rate, however, had barely moved at all.

"Just relax and focus Hiro." Ichigo called over her shoulder.

He took a deep breath and tried to connect. Grasping, he desperately searched for Ichigo's mind. His sync just rate dropped even further and was now hovering dangerously close to zero.

Faintly he heard Hachi's ever so familiar count down. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One." "Timed out." "The mock battle is over." "Delphinium's parasite team has failed to sync in time. The battle is forfeit to Argentea's team. Both teams please return to the ground."

"Well, I was expecting more of a challenge. I guess those low code numbers don't amount to very much." Came Zorome's sneering lear.

Hiro didn't even listen he just got up and walked numbly to the lift. Ichigo joined him a few seconds later and they descended in silence. Numbly he thought. "Here I am being tied to the ground once more. I wonder. Will I ever fly?"

* * *

 **Authors note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 2: Squad 13 of the Jian Bird.

If you have questions or feedback feel free to let me know.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: Connections


	3. Chapter 3: Connections

Dr. Franxx was in his lab, staring at the results of the recent mock battle. As he had predicted Code 016 had failed to connect with Code 015. "Hiro." He berated himself. "Stop thinking of him as some sort of chess piece when so much relies on him."

He sat pondering as he absentmindedly tapped a pen on the edge of his desk. He needed an excuse to test his original hypothesis. It was the whole reason he had come to Plantation 13 specifically and the queen would be expecting progress on phase 1 sooner rather than later.

The geezers would need to be kept at bay as well. For the moment they were preoccupied with other things and weren't keeping an eye on him. But he was pretty sure that his time outside of scrutiny was running out. Unfortunately, scrutiny was the exact opposite of what he needed if this was going to work.

"Hmm." He needed to put Squad 13 in danger. Not enough to be fatal or even harmful; but enough that he could get the results he needed. If not, then this was all going to come crashing down around him before it even started.

Picking up his datapad he scrolled through Plantation 13's to do list. Something popped out at him a few minutes later. A local magma mine had become infested with Klaxosaurs which had halted extraction. "This could be what he needed." The infestation would provide enough danger that the lockdown on Strelitzia would be released. But, it shouldn't be enough that the rest of Squad 13 would be in serious danger.

It was a shame that this hadn't come up earlier. Plantation 13 was already heading for a kissing operation with Plantation 26 to refill its magma reserves, and unfortunately, there was very little that he could do to prevent it. The kissing operations were always a mess; and with his complicated plan already stretched thin, he hoped that it would still hold after the kissing. If it didn't go well he would be in serious trouble.

"It'll have to do." He sighed to thin air.

Tapping his communicator he contacted Hachi. "Have Squad 13 attack the L15 magma mine tomorrow."

"Of course Sir." Came Hachi's reply, before hanging up.

"Let's hope this works." He prayed silently.

* * *

Hiro turned the water on for the shower and stood glaring at the blank wall. He knew, even before he started the mock battle that this was going to be the result. But even still, the results felt like he was being stabbed repeatedly in the gut. How many more chances would he get? Most parasites were given maybe one at most. But he had been failing his whole life! Only been able to connect shakily with Naomi a few times. And has he had just demonstrated he couldn't even connect with his childhood friend; who even so coincidently just so happened to be the most skilled member of the entire squad!

"Why does this keep happening to me!?" He snarled to the wall.

The wall's replied with its unwavering and unchanging blank stare.

"Typical." He thought, annoyed. "What am I even doing here anymore?"

When he was finished he made his way to his locker. Clean clothes had already been placed there for him. Irritability he began to pull them on. He had just finished, when Zorome, walked into the locker room; a smirk already playing at the corner of his mouth.

"So much for the low code number. You're even more pathetic than I originally thought." Zorome sneered.

"So help me, if any more words come out of this jerks mouth." Hiro thought while clenching his teeth.

"I mean if you can't even get a FRANXX started with the most talented pistol in the squad; then I don't know how you think you could even win against me in a fight." Zorome continued.

"Zorome, I am in no mood to listen to your shit." He said with barely concealed rage. "This will be your first and final warning."

"Alright, Alright," Zorome said in amusement. "Go cry to Ichigo or something."

Zorome was poking a very angry dragon right now. Luckily for him, Hiro decided that even Zorome didn't deserve the amount of hate and rage that was about to come pouring out of him. So he took a deep breath and walked out the door.

"Your still the biggest failure of this entire squad." Zorome laughed cruelly before the door closed.

"Alright, that's it!" Hiro spun on his feet. He was going to make sure that this cunt still felt his fist on his deathbed.

"Ignore him!" Goro yelled quickly.

Turning he saw Goro jogging hurriedly towards him. Hiro stopped himself with difficulty and waited for Goro to arrive

"Are you alright?" Goro asked concerned, as he placed a consoling hand on Hiro's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said automatically.

"Hey, don't take him to seriously; he's just jealous." Goro consoled. "Don't worry will find you a great partner. Before you know it you'll be fighting with the rest of us. Then you can really show Zorome who's the better pilot."

"Thanks." He said weakly. Goro was the best friend you could ask for. Goro had always been his cheerleader and had never let him down. Knowing he still had a friend like that helped sooth his anger.

"I'll deal with Zorome. You get yourself back to Mistilteinn; I'm sure your exhausted." Goro continued with one final pat on the shoulder. Goro gave him a quick smile and opened the door to the locker room and disappeared.

After a moment Hiro began to make his way towards the main lobby. Goro was right he defiantly needed to get to bed. This had probably been one of the longest days he could ever remember. Sighing, he turned towards the elevators to make his way up.

"Darling!" Zero Two called to him in a singsong voice.

Turning he smiled. This girl could always put a smile on his face, and it seemed as though she never had to do very much to get it.

"Come with me I want to show you something beautiful." She said grabbing his hand.

Well, they didn't have to move at all as far as he was concerned. She was already so beautiful that he couldn't imagine anything more he needed. But he allowed her to take his hand and lead him anyway. It would have been a hard thing to resist, for her hand was so soft and delicate that it was a privilege just to be able to touch it let alone hold it.

She lead him down a hall and towards an access hatch before finally letting go. She reached out and punched in some kind of code. The door hissed open revealing a ladder that traveled upwards. Stepping forward she climbed a few rungs before turning to look down to him. "Come on." She said gesturing him to follow before she continued climbing. Grasping the rung in front of him he began to climb. As he climbed he looked to see if the tube contained anything else but the ladder. Not finding anything he looked straight up. This was a mistake. He was now looking straight up her skirt. Although she was wearing black tights; he felt his blood rush to the very last region that he wanted it to. Blushing the deepest shade of crimson he quickly turned his head away and spent the next few minutes of the climb determinately thinking of anything else but her.

When she reached the top she punched in a code at the exit hatch, and it swung open onto a service deck on top of the plantation. He climbed out after her and she closed the hatch. The night air was the perfect temperature and was accompanied by a gentle warm breeze. Looking up he saw thousands of stars, sparkling like little diamonds in the sky.

"Amazing!" He gasped in complete awe. He sat for minutes mesmerized as thousands of tiny worlds sparked their unique colors. Each with their own story to tell and their own message to give.

"How do you know about this place." He asked, still in awe.

"I already told you that all plantations have the same design didn't I." She teased.

"Yeah. I guess you did." He said; finally taking his eye's off the stars. "But still, I've never found a place like this."

In the low light, he didn't see her sight grimace of disappointment. "Did you ever look?" She asked after a moments pause.

"No." He said pondering. "Although now that you mention it, I am not quite sure why. I think I used to go exploring, but its been a very long time." He tried to remember all the times he had explored the Garden. Adventures and events long forgotten now just hazy feelings. The only thing that stuck out to him was a massive tree in a snowy forest. The tree's significance however and what had transpired there were now locked away. Guarded by the shadows and gaps of forgetfulness.

Changing the subject he asked. "Do you know how long you'll be at Plantation 13."

"No." She said simply. "Dr. Franxx and Papa decide when and where I go and for how long I'm there."

"Would you stay if you could?" He inquired trying to hide a feeling of slight desperation.

After a moment she answered carefully. "If I could, then yes." And after another pause, she added. "However I go where I'm ordered." The way she said the last sentence caught him as odd, but in his exhausted state he couldn't quite pin down why it felt off.

"Well, maybe this time you'll get your wish." He offered consolingly.

Yawning, he stretched out on the deck and looked back up at the stars. He was so tired, that he closed his eyes. "Just a few minutes rest, and then I need to return to Mistilteinn." He thought sleepily. But a few minutes later he was already fast asleep.

* * *

Zero Two watched him silently until she heard his deep rhythmic breathing. "I only have one wish." She thought quietly. Then, she too curled up, and fell asleep beneath that starry night sky As if in answer, a shooting star streaked across the night sky; and then flew off into the universe, now carrying its sacred cargo.

* * *

The cool morning breeze tickled his skin and the light of a predawn sun began to slowly urge Hiro awake. His eyes flickered open and he became conscious of the fact that he had been sleeping on hard metal. Groggily he made his way to a sitting position and stretched. Well, if one thing was for sure, he definitely hadn't made his way back to Mistilteinn, before he fell asleep. That was going to require some quick thinking and smooth talking if he planned to not arouse to much suspicion.

Looking up he saw some predawn light poking its way over some cragged hills. For a moment he just sat and watched the most exquisite yellows and oranges paint their way into the sky. When that glowing orb finally crested the hills he felt its rejuvenating powers wash over him in waves of divine energy.

"Today was a new day. Today was the day he was going to fly." He thought as he breathed in another deep breath of cool morning air.

Turning he saw that Zero Two was still asleep; her chest slowly rising and falling in time with her breathing. The sun's rays seemed to caress the soft lines of her face amplifying her already natural beauty. He watched silently as the sun's rays glinted and sparkled off her horns making little reflections of red light dance across the ground. At this moment, she truly looked to be at peace. "How anybody can hate her or think she's a monster is beyond me." He breathed; still watching her.

She began to stir a few minutes later, quickly he looked back at the sun. She could go without knowing that he had been staring at her for the last few minutes. Quietly he heard her sit up behind him and yawn.

"Good morning." He said warmly, turning back to face her.

"Morning." Came her sleepy reply. She yawned again and then slowly rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"That is the cutest thing I have ever seen." He thought.

This girl just seemed to suck up his whole attention whenever she was around. He hadn't even known her for very long. Still, her presence just seemed to melt away any barrier that he might have used distance himself from others. For some reason, he wanted to be closer to her, and get to know who she truly was deep down."Why was she always alone?" "Why was everybody afraid of her?" "Where did she come from?" "Why did Papa always keep moving her around?" "Why did he get the feeling that she was searching for something.?" These questions swirled in his mind.

This feeling was familiar. The feeling of having a thousand questions and no answers. "But why all of a sudden?" He had always been content with not questioning the world around him, hadn't he? "But then why did he get the feeling that he had asked similar questions before?" "Uggh." This was so frustrating.

While he was preoccupied with his thoughts he hadn't realized that he was still staring at Zero Two. "Darling." She called abruptly.

Jolting back to the present he shook his head. "S-Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?" She questioned sweetly.

What was he supposed to say to that? "Think." "Think." "Damn. She must think I'm some sort of creep."

He said the first thing that entered his mind. "I just thinking of how pretty your horns are when the sun hits them."

His mind began roaring with self-deprecation. "Smooth. Real smooth. Tell me are you trying to dig us a deeper hole dumb ass!? Or do you think that if we dig enough we'll somehow end up at the top again?"

"Really." She said grinning. Suddenly she leaned forward and pressed her horns into his forehead.

"Ow." All of sudden his blood seemed electrified and where her horns made contact with his head; he felt a deep rhythmic throbbing. Something deep inside him was stirring as it flapped it's massive wing experimentally, waiting to take flight. The sensation that cut through it all, however, was warmth. He almost felt as if he were connected to her. He could feel her heart beat and her gently breathing. He tried to delve deeper into that feeling; however, something was stopping him. There seemed to be some sort of barrier that was blocking him from fully connecting, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to get past it. He drove against it again and again and still it wouldn't budge.

She removed her horns and the sensation was gone within an instant. "We should probably get back before we're missed." She stated abruptly standing up. She seemed completely obvious to what he had just experience.

"Y-Yes of course." He stammered rubbing his forehead. "What was that?" He thought to himself. "That was the most intimate thing I have ever experienced." If only that stupid barrier hadn't gotten in the way then maybe he could have dove deeper into that feeling. "Sighing." He stood up and followed her over to the hatch. It opened with a hiss.

"Zero Two." He called.

She turned to face him with a questioning look on her face. "Yes?"

He looked into her deep green eye and smiled. "Thank you for taking me here. I don't think I have ever appreciated the outside world as much as I do now. It's far more beautiful than I ever imagined." Blushing slightly he continued. "L-Lets do this again sometime."

"Of course." She said smiling.

They both took one final view of that beautiful free sunrise; before descending back down the ladder. Back to the plantation. Back to the cage.

* * *

Hiro emerged from the elevator back in Mistiltienn. Zero Two had left him at the elevator to return to wherever she was being held. He needed to make it look like he hadn't been gone all night.

Sighing, he turned towards the living room. He couldn't be bothered to return to his bed; his mind was just too full of thoughts. Finding his favorite couch he sat down. The two-seater couch had a nice view of the window so he could just sit and watch the birds and the trees outside.

Ichigo walked in a little while later combing her hair.

"Good morning." He called warmly.

"Oh. Good morning, I didn't see you." She said in surprise.

There was a long pause. Each remembering the failure of last night's mock battle. Hiro felt that he should apologize; she had tried to help him and he had just sulked away like a baby. "Listen it wasn't your fault. I was the one who failed to connect. So don't blame yourself for my failures."

Ichigo was struggling to come up with an answer. Her mouth opened and closed a few time before she finally just decide to nod in acceptance. Silently she sat in a chair and pulled out her communicator and began scrolling through messages and alerts.

He was glad that was over. He didn't want to dwell on the mock battle. That was in the past and he needed to be able to full advantage of another opportunity if it presented itself. Silently he went back to gazing at the birds. He watched as a mother flapped back to her nest and began to feed the babies nestled there. It was adorable how the mother gave each one a bit of attention before feeding it. The father flapped over to them a few minutes later. Quietly he greeted his mate and then took his turn feeding the babies. The mother watched him for a moment before taking off in search of more food. Hiro smiled. "That was probably the sweetest thing I've ever seen."

He let his imagination run; replacing the birds with himself and… Shaking his head and blushing he returned to the present. His brow furrowed as his recent fantasy brought up questions that he had never considered. "Could humans even have babies?" If they couldn't then how were the children created? Human's must be able to. But as far as he could remember there weren't any babies at the garden. Just children being raised in the orphanage to be FRANXX pilots. He thought back through his lessons as a child. "Nothing." He couldn't remember even a single shred of information regarding the subject."This seems like such an important subject. Why do I not remember anything?" "Maybe Papa didn't teach it. But why wouldn't he? This was such a vital subject, that it seemed foolish not to."

Goro walked into the room. "Where have you been?"

"W-What!?" Hiro stammered startled as Goro's voiced dragged him out of his thoughts.

"You've been gone since I left you by the locker room. Where have you been?" His voice was filled with worry and suspicion.

"I, Um. I've…. B-Been right here." He lied.

Goro gave him a long stern look and he felt Ichigo's suspicious eyes on him as well. Frantically he tried to come up with a suitable lie that they would believe. Frankly, he had no wish to tell anybody, even his best friends, that he had spent the night with Zero Two atop the plantation.

Goro saw right through him. Not any of the details but enough that he knew that Zero Two had been involved. Goro let out a sigh. "Hiro, do you really plan to ride with her again."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. She had clearly not expected her warning the previous morning to be so utterly ignored. He knew she meant well and was usually right, but with Zero Two he felt that she was wrong. He wasn't just going to let Zero Two be all alone again just because his friends were worried about him.

"Yes." He said finally.

"Hiro. I've heard rumors about her." Goro began.

Hiro cut him off. "That nobody has ridden with her more than three times? Yeah, I know."

Goro shot a quick look at Ichigo. That confirmed his suspicion that they had been working together to keep him away from Zero Two. He knew why and he didn't blame them. If their places had been reversed then he would be doing the exact same thing. From an outsiders perspective, what he was doing probably seemed pretty suicidal. However, he just had a feeling that this time things would be different. Ever since he had met Zero Two he had experienced sensations and feelings that he had never experienced before. So even if he did die after his third time; he would rather spend his time experiencing new things instead of just sitting around waiting for Papa to figure out what to do with him. That was another reason he wanted to stay with Zero Two. Before he had just blindly accepted Papa's orders and teachings. But the moments that he and Zero Two escaped from under Papa's watch were the moments that he felt truly alive and that he was able to freely fly. He would ride this out to the end; and if it ended sooner rather than later. "Well, then it had been an interesting ride."

"Look." He said consolingly. "She's the only person I have been able to ride with. Whats our purpose as parasites if not to fight? I would rather spend the rest of my days fighting with you, than sitting back watching you guys do all the work like some overgrown child. I will ride with her, and if it kills me then that's what was meant to happen."

Goro and Ichigo were both trying to come up with some sort of answer. Anything that would dissuade Hiro from going down this suicidal path.

Hiro interjected before they had time to sort out their thoughts. "Who knows, maybe all those rumors are just that, rumors." Smiling he continued. "Thank you for your concern. I know you're only doing it because you care about my safety."

Goro and Ichigo both looked at each other. Goro gave her a slightly exasperated shrug and she returned it with a nod. Hiro had always marveled at their ability to know exactly what the other was thinking and somehow come to an agreement without saying a word.

Ichigo spoke for them. "Okay Hiro, but please don't get yourself killed. We don't want you to die. Just remember that you have friends in Squad 13 too."

"Yeah, We wouldn't be the same without you," Goro added.

That cut deep into Hiro and all he could muster was a feeble. "Thanks, guys."

* * *

The rest of the morning passed without incident. Zorome seemed a little less hostile than usual but that was about it. Everyone was discussing when and possibly where their first mission would take place. Zorome was convinced it would be something grandiose in nature; with the fate of human existence hanging in the balance. His partner Miku berated him on his expectations, her attitude as fiery as her hair. That particular argument had gone on for a while; although both seemed to be equally enjoying their fight. Futoshi hoped that it would be something easy; his attitude mimicking his overweight appearance. His partner Kokoro had agreed with him, her kind smile matched only by her radiant blonde hair. Her attention had quickly returned to Mitsuru however. What she saw in him was beyond Hiro. Mitsuru was just a jerk, who was barely more compatible with his partner Ikuno, then Hiro had been with Naomi.

Sometime later Hachi's voice came over the loudspeaker. "All members of Squad 13 prepare to sortie. Assemble in the ready room in ten minutes."

The squad jumped up and practically ran to the elevators. All the while chatting excitedly about their first mission. Hiro went with them. Officially he wasn't a member of Squad 13 but if he was allowed to pilot with Zero Two it was better to be prepared and available.

* * *

"Your target is a nest of Klaxosaurs that have taken up residence in the L15 magma mine," Hachi said addressing the group. "Your objective will be to clear the targets so that production can resume."

"We'll be fighting Klaxosaurs so soon?" Futoshi asked with an edge of hesitation in his voice.

"Don't worry, you won't be fighting Klaxosaurs like the one that attacked the plantation just yet." She said consolingly. "We would like to ease you guys into things; so we're starting small."

Hachi began filling in details once she finished. "You'll be fighting a handful of scattered Conrad-class Klaxosaurs on level 8. Klaxosaurs was you are aware require magma energy so they will most likely be located around pipes or drill shafts. This should be a relatively simple mission of search and destroy. The Conrad-class is a bit smaller than your FRANXXs, so they shouldn't pose any real threat unless you're swarmed. "

After a pause, Nana added, without looking at Hiro. "Strelizia won't be a part of this mission."

"W-Wait, What!?" Hiro stammered.

Nana plowed on. "Squad 13 will need to be able to defend the plantation on its own."

"Ichigo and Goro you'll have field command."

"Roger." They both replied.

Hachi gave the final order. "All hands, prepare to board."

* * *

Ichigo stood in front of her FRANXX with Goro. She took a few deep breaths. She knew the squad was ready. They had been training their whole lives and now was finally time to put all that time and effort to use. Although she could only imagine how Hiro felt; she was glad that he wasn't coming along. The three of them were practically siblings and losing either one of them would have been a devastating loss. Goro she could keep an eye on. They did almost everything together and they knew what made each other tick which is why they got along so well. But Hiro, after the few days he had gone missing from the orphanage when they were children; had started to close himself off. He went from being the center of attention to less than normal in just a matter of days. Naomi had helped her and Goro coax a little of his old self back but it was never the same. It didn't help that no matter how hard Hiro and Naomi tried they could never connect. Unfortunately, this caused their relationship to slowly deteriorated. Each a reminder to the other of their own failings.

"You ready?" Came Goro voice, rousing her from her thoughts.

"Let's do this." She smiled.

He reached down and gave her hand a little squeeze. "While be alright." He said into her ear.

"Of course." She whispered back, returning the squeeze. She felt safe putting herself in his care. Like being wrapped in a protective cocoon. That and something else that she couldn't identify but just felt.

They made their way into her FRANXX Delphinium each taking their seats. She got down on her knees in front of Goro and placed her hands in her control sockets. Her parasite suit deployed the controls from her legs and her helmet moved forwards into position; its display coming alive as it did so.

Goro gripped her controls, and she felt a warm feeling travel from the base of her sacrum, up her spine till it reached her head. She gave a little moan as she felt their syncing rates soar and her body became one with Delphinium.

"All parasite teams call in." Hachi's voice called.

"Delphinium calling in." She and Goro called.

"Argentea is ready to roll." Zorome boomed into the communicator.

"Genista ready." Kokoro and Futoshi called.

There were a few long moments of silence as Chlorophytum failed to report.

"Chlorophytum ready." Ikuno and Mitsuru called, their voices sounding strained.

An alarm sounded and the launch doors in front of them opened with a hiss.

"All FRANXXs proceed to magma mine L15." Called Hachi.

"Roger!" Squad 13 gilded out and began to make the long trek towards the mine.

* * *

The mineshaft was a colossal hole in the ground that went down hundreds of feet before branching off. Various machinery stood idle around its edges waiting to return to work. The massive pump pipe that traveled straight down into the mine stood empty. Obviously, something had destroyed the connection somewhere in the mine.

"Wheres the lift," Zorome asked looking around.

"Over there," Ichigo said using Delphinium's massive finger to point. The lift was a series of platforms that were designed to transport heavy equipment to and from the mine.

Squad 13 made their way over to it. They each stood on one of the platforms.

"Final equipment and resource check," Goro called.

"Magma claws deployed, and magma reserves at 97%," Argentea called.

"Magma cannon loaded. Ammo stores full. Magma reserves at 92%. Genista reported.

Chlorophytum gave its diagnostics a few seconds later. "Repeating guns online. Suppression and beam modes available. Magma reserves at 94%

Goro called Delphinium's stats. "Magma spears operational. Magma reserves at 95%.

"Move out." Called Hachi.

The lift beneath their feet lurch forward and they began their descent down in the deep abyss.

Argentea jumped the last few feet and quickly looked around.

"All clear." She called up.

The rest of the squad arrived a few seconds later.

Delphinium issued orders. "Argentea take point. Genista cover the rear. Chlorophtyum stay with me."

"Roger."

"Your first target is in a refinery down shaft 16. Stay alert." Nana called to them over the communicator.

"Roger," Delphinium replied. "Proceeding to objective."

"Zorome," Goro called over to Argentea.

"What?"

"I don't want any surprises. Keep a watchful eye." Goro said sternly.

"Got it," Zorome said turning Argentea towards the shaft.

The shaft twisted and turned as it made its way deeper into the earth. The shaft was becoming darker and darker the farther they went. The shaft lights seemed to be smashed; so they were forced to resort to the lights on their FRANXX. Unfortunately, this gave away their position to anything that might be watching them. They continued on; until a light at the end of the shaft began to appear. Delphinium gestured for them to shut off their lights, and they made their way forward.

"One Conrad-class located in the center of the refinery." Called Zorome over the communicator.

"Roger," Goro called back. "Get as close as you can before you pounce."

Argentea inched its way forward. The Klaxosaur still didn't seem to notice her and scratched that a magma container. Argentea leaped forward and with a series of rapid jabs stabbed the Klaxosaur. It screamed in pain and tried to resist but Argentea ripped out its core and crushed it.

"Target one eliminated," Ichigo called back to the plantation.

"Very good. Approach the second target."

The second Klaxosaur was scratching at a pipe when they arrived. It heard them coming and turned to face them. Before it could do more but look at them Delphinium leaped forward and with a couple of rapid slashes and a stab the Klaxosaur exploded in a cloud of blue blood.

Before she could call the plantation Ichigo spotted targets three and four on a wall some distance away. She used Delphinium finger to point them out to Genista. Genista lifted her massive cannon and took aim. With a loud BOOM, a massive magma bolt leaped from the cannon and exploded right on top of the two Klaxosaurs killing them instantly.

"Fine work," Nana said. "Your final target is in a cavern a level down from your position."

The cavern was a mess. Magma was spewed everywhere and pipes were torn and shredded so much that they were barely distinguishable. Rivers of scolding hot magma flowed from the ceiling and walls. It all funneled to a giant hole in the floor where it disappeared.

"What the hell happened here!?" Futoshi exclaimed.

"I don't know. But I have a bad feeling about this." Mitsuru replied.

Ichigo's heart was pounding in her chest. "Something was off here and she didn't know what it was." She hated being unprepared which was just increasing her sense of unease. "If things went badly it would be her fault if one of them got killed." The very thought sent shivers down her spine.

"Calm down Ichigo," Goro whispered sending his comforting energy through their connection.

Ichigo felt it tingle her spine and she let the feeling of him wash over her. She let it wrap around her; encasing her in its warmth. Nesting in it's hold she used it to calm her frantic mind; letting him penetrate deeper and deeper into her. Their sync numbers raised a few more notches

"Thank you." She whispered back.

"Alright everybody lets finish the mission." She called.

Delphinium made its way towards the hole; the rest of the group following close behind her. Looking down she saw large masses of magma pooling and flowing throughout a strange glowing blue substance. "What is that." She thought. She had never seen anything like it before in her life.

Nana's voice sounded into their communication frequency. "Your final target is located in that cavern. There is a path out according to the schematics; so finish the mission and let's get you guys back to base."

Ichigo shook herself and then spoke to the rest of the squad. "Take positions around the hole. Make sure you have your maneuvering boosters primed. We jump on three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

They jumped into the chasm. Each FRANXX fired its boosters to slow its descent before they hit the bottom. Delphinium and the other landed with a crash on the floor of the chasm.

Quickly Ichigo looked around but the Klaxosaur was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is it?" Came Mitsuru's voice.

"I don't know, but stay alert," Goro said back.

"Hey, what is this stuff," Zorome said reaching out to touch the blue substance.

"Don't touch it, you moron!" Miku raged. "You don't know what that is! And your especially not doing it with my finger!"

"Alright, alright I'm sorry," Zorome said hurriedly.

Ichigo bent over to investigate one of the pod looking things that were scattered all across the room. Inside there was a glowing orb. "This is so strange. I've never seen anything like this." She kept staring at it trying to identify what it was. The whole pod seemed dedicated to focusing magma into the orb almost as if feeding it. "What were these things." Was it just a coincidence that the mine was attack and magma was everywhere? Or was it somehow connected."

Something moved inside the orb! Whatever was inside that orb was alive and moving!

"Guy are you seeing what I'm seeing." Her voice cracking from the shock.

"What!?" The Squad called in surprise.

"Look at these pod things. I think somethings alive inside them." She said trying to control her shaking voice.

"Your right! What in the hell are these things!" Miku yelled in shock.

"They almost look like some sort of egg," Ikuno said examining one.

"What do you mean?" Goro asked confused.

"Well in a book I was reading on biology it had a diagram of an egg. This kind of reminded me of it." She replied gesturing with her FRANXX's hand.

"Where did you read that?" Kokoro inquired. "I've never seen a book like that."

"Well I spend most of my time reading about science and engineering so I may have seen a few more books on the subject than you." Ikuno clarified. "Admittedly I've never read anything that describes something like this.

Their conversation was interrupted by the enraged scream of a massive Klaxosaur. It charged at them forcing them to scatter out of the way. The Klaxosaur quickly wrapped its enormous serpent-like body protectively around the pods. It used its head to lunge repeatedly at Argentea; desperately trying to eliminate one of the threats to its eggs. Argentea was fast and for now, was avoiding the strikes, but she was quickly running out of room. Chlorophtyum opened up with a barrage of magma bullets straight to the Klaxosaur's head. With a scream of rage and pain the Klaxosaur changed targets; lunging at Chlorophtyum instead. Luck with on their side. The Klaxosaur came up short of chomping down on the FRANXX. It was unwilling to expose its precious eggs, even for a kill shot at one of its attackers.

This wasn't going well. If they stayed here they were as good as dead. "There!" Ichigo shouted. The passage that Nana had mentioned earlier was on the other side of the chasm.

"Make for the exit!" She shouted pointing.

"We're stuck!" Genista's pilots shouted.

Turning she saw that Genista was wedged in-between the chasm wall and the Klaxosaur.

Ichigo thought fast quickly taking stock of the situation.

"If we could somehow get the Klaxosuar to focus on the eggs, then maybe Genista could get free!" Goro called.

"That was it!" She had an idea. She was about to tell Goro, but she hesitated. If what Ikuno said was true, then what she was about to do would be extremely cruel. "No!" "This was a life or death situation. She didn't have the luxury of debating morals with her squad mates on the line."

"Goro let me have the controls for a moment." She yelled. She could at least keep Goro's hands clean from this atrocity.

"Sure thing!" He called back.

Delphinium charged at the Klaxosaur and leaped into the air at the last second. She spun so that she was situated weapons pointing down. She began to pass over the pods and took one final look at their glowing beauty. She thrust her spear forward and almost as if in slow motion watched as it sliced through a pod. It cut like a hot knife through warm butter. Its precious life nurturing juices spewed forth, in what seemed to be an endless gush. The egg rolled out and smashed into pieces.

Delphinium landed on the other side near the exit. Ichigo watched as the Klaxosaur realized what she had done and let out a scream of agony filled horror. Completely distracted it dived forward trying desperately to repair the broken egg. Ichigo's heart shattered as she listened to the creatures desperate whimpering as it tried again and again to repair the damage.

The destruction of the egg had served its purpose. The rest of the squad rushed towards the exit all communicating sighs of relief and gratitude. None of them except Goro had seen what she had done; only its results.

"Thanks," Argentea called.

"You really saved us there. You're amazing!" Genista's pilots exclaimed in gratitude.

"Nice work." Chlorophtyum congratulated.

"It was the only way to save everybody," Goro said to her. She could feel him sending his calming energy into her. It made her feel a little better, but she was still so disgusted with herself that she felt unworthy of his care.

"Let's get out of here!" She called to the squad.

They had only been running for a few minutes when they heard a scream of pure hatred usher from they chasm they had left behind. It was then followed by the sound of clanking running as hundreds of objects from places deep within the mine started moving towards their location.

The sounds of things entering the tub from the entrance far behind them became deafening in their ears. They increased their speed knowing that facing that hoard would be suicidal.

Squad 13 screeched to a halt. A massive wall of rumble was blocking their way and they were forced to stop.

"Now what do we do!?" Argentea wailed in disbelief.

Goro quickly took charge. "Argentea, Genista, start clearing this rumble so we can get out of here. Chlorophtyum stay here and provide suppressive fire. We'll take care of anything that gets to close. Got it?"

"Roger!" The squad called back each taking their position.

"Here they come!" Hundreds of four-legged Klaxosaurs half the size of the FRANXXs charged towards their location.

"Open Fire!" Goro yelled.

Chlorophtyum opened a set of vents on its guns and activated suppression mode. Hundreds of magma energy bolts flew from the guns towards the Klaxosaurs. The charge of death slowed but continued to plowed on.

"I can't keep this up for much longer!" Chorophtyum shouted.

"Hold it for as long as you can!" Delphinium shouted back.

"I'll try!"

The bolts flew across the shrinking gap smashing into their targets.

A few moments later Chlorophtyum's guns spurted to a halt. "RELOADING!"

Delphinium flew forwards into the charging line of Klaxosaurs; slashing repeatedly left and right in an attempt to slow the onslaught. But for every five they chopped down; ten more seemed to fill in their place. Delphinium was forced to give ground and it wouldn't be long before she and Goro would be overwhelmed.

"We can do this Ichigo! Just hold it together!" Goro shouted.

They kept slashing left, right, left, right over and over again.

"READY!" She heard.

Delphinium flew back to the group, and Chlorophtyum began its barrage once again.

"How long until we're through that block!" Goro shouted to Argentea and Genista.

"We can see the other side! But it will take more time to clear enough space to get through!" Genista shouted back.

Goro opened the comms to the Plantation. "We could really use some help down here! I don't know how long we can hold out!"

* * *

"You don't have any more excuses!" Hiro shouted at the administrators. "Send me and Zero Two in Strelizia!"

"Papa hasn't authorized the use of Strelizia," Hachi said calmly. "We can't disobey orders."

"They're going to die if you don't." Zero Two said with a slight edge to her voice. "Let me ride with my Darling!"

She had joined them in the ready room a few minutes before this whole operation had started falling apart. She had the same idea as Hiro and was dressed in her red skintight parasite suit.

"I'm sorry but we have our orders," Nana said.

"Well, I'm changing them." Came a voice from the briefing screen. Dr. Franxx's face appeared and he gazed down at Zero Two and Hiro. "I don't want Plantation 13 to lose, squad. Plus I would like to see if this Hiro really is compatible with Zero Two."

"You may sortie. Strelizia has already been prepped." He said.

"Thank you, sir!" Hiro said eagerly. "Come on Zero Two let's go!" He grabbed her hand and they ran out towards the launch bay.

He had expected her to let go, but she was gripping his hand just as hard as he was gripping hers. They made their way onto the loading walkway until the reached Strelizia. Hiro reached out with his free hand and touched the FRANXX's face. The metal beneath his fingers was warm and seemed to have a life of its own. If he focused hard enough he could almost feel what felt like a heartbeat pulsating through the FRANXX. This was where he belonged. This was the FRANXX he was going to fly in!

"Do you want to fly with me, Darling!?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes! Let's do this!" He replied at once.

Strelizia's faceplate slide down and out of the way; revealing the entrance to the cockpit. He rushed forward and took the Stamen's seat located behind her. She was only a second behind him. Her arms and legs sliding into position in front of him.

"Let's see what you can do!" The controls deployed from her legs and the display on her head came alive waiting for him.

He reached out and grabbed the controls. Their sync rates soared higher than anyone had ever seen. Immediately he felt her presence, and she seemed to become a part of him. A tingle ran up his spine and he felt their minds almost fuse together. "This was exhilarating." Being this intimate with someone was mind-blowing. He had never experienced so much power and freedom in his life.

Zero Two giggled in pleasure. "I don't think I have ridden with anybody with this much raw potential. This is quite exciting." Turning her head she flashed him a grin. "Let's see what you can do!"

Strelizia came alive and flexed it's fingers experimentally. The walkway in front of her face moved out of the way and she grabbed her Mega-lance. The launched doors opened to the outside world and Strelizia crossed the room and a few steps. The sky was free of clouds and the sun shone its brilliant light. Strelizia leaped into the air a flew; it's maneuvering jets leaving a trail of brilliant orange fire. The air rushed faster and faster around her as she picked up speed. The plantation quickly became no more than a dot on the horizon as she flew farther and farther from her cage. The dead Earth, no more than a red blur as they soared through the sky.

"This is amazing!" Hiro yelled. This was flying! He had finally found his wings!

He felt himself penetrate deeper inside her mind. Wrapped in her glory he let himself swim in her endless lake of potential.

He was laughing with pure joy! This was freedom! This was what he was born to do!

"Your amazing Zero Two!" He cried in pure ecstasy.

Strelizia smiled at him. "It's all you DARLING!"

She soared higher. "Were a perfect match! Let's see what more we can discover!"

The magma mine was becoming larger and larger by the second. Far below he looked down. Squad 13 had made their way back to the center and were fighting to keep from being overrun.

Strelizia comms came alive and he heard Goro shout. "Were trapped and about to be overrun! If we don't get help were all going to die!"

"Don't worry guys! Were coming!" He shouted.

"HIRO!" Surprised voices called but he didn't hear any of it.

Strelizia twisted in the air and dived down the mine shaft. Her spear thrust out towards the writhing mass Klaxosaurs. Strelizia hit the mass so hard that a massive shockwave sent Klaxosaurs flying; exploding as they hit the walls with inconceivable force. She swiped horizontally and left only explosions of blue in her wake. Turning she threw her lance down a Klaxosaur filled mineshaft and cleared it with an explosion of blue. The lance returned to her with a tug on its hose and she turned to the stunned squad.

"We'll finish up here. Get back to the top." Hiro said before turning back to the Klaxosaurs.

Strelizia moved just in time to avoid a deadly beam of energy that was shot from below. The beam went searing just inches in front of her face.

"Are you alright Zero Two!?" Hiro shriek horrified. He couldn't bare the thought of her being hurt. Especially due to his delay.

"Never better!" She called back. "Let's finish this!"

The beam had carved a massive chunk out of the wall of the mine and the heard part of a wall collapse.

"Zero Two! I think the mine is going to collapse we need to get out of here!" He shouted to her.

They looked at the crater where the beam had come. Far below a very angry serpent was charging another beam to shoot at their location. It clearly meant to eliminate the mine to prevent any intruders from every entering its home again.

"Look there it is!" Zero Two shouted in delight.

Hiro stopped her before she did anything reckless. "Leave it! We'll be trapped down here if we attack! We can deal with it another time."

"Fine." She pouted.

Strelizia didn't even bother with the lift. Instead, she just ignited her thrusters and flew out.

The Klaxosaur beam hit the wall again and it collapsed. Far above the mine, Strelizia watched as the mine caved in on itself. Machinery was devoured as the surrounding land collapsed. The once massive pump that had stood proudly sucking magma energy for humanity was now nothing more than a pile of scrap metal strewn across the crater.

Squad 13 was gliding above the ground away from the destruction. Thankfully they had gotten clear of the devastation.

The comms came alive. "Hiro! Are you alright!?" He heard Ichigo say sounding panicked.

"Never better!" He called back. "I'm glad you guy are alright! You had me worried for a while."

"Where are you?" She called confused.

"Above you!" He called back.

He watched Squad 13 screech to a halt and look up.

The comms came alive with an incomprehensible babble of questions and exclamations of surprise.

"How are you flying!?" Zorome's voice cutting through the rest of the squad.

"Zero Two!" He said simply. "She's amazing!"

He felt a warm flood of gratitude rush into him through their connection. It tickled and was so sweet that it tasted almost like honey. He basked in the sensation swimming in its pleasure.

While he was enveloped in her gratitude he remembered that he owned her some gratitude as well. Sending a wave of his own he heard her give a moan of pleasure and Strelizia sank in the air a few inches. "Thank you!" "Thank you for helping me fly!" "I will be your wings for a long as I can!"

They continued to bask in each others presence letting this feeling of warmth flow through them. Hiro smiled. He wondered if this is what the others felt when they connected. He penetrated deeper into her until an ethereal image seemed to float into his mind. The image was of a burred child looking figure with black hair. "Da…Da…..Da.."

This almost felt intrusive. Something told him that this was a very special and private memory. Regrettably, he began to back out of her mind all he wanted to do was dive deeper into her but invading her privacy any farther would be indecent. If she didn't want him to it could also be extremely painful to her. The thought of her angelic face twisting in pain felt like a hot knife being pressed against his skin.

He resurfaced a few moments later to the sound of the comms. "Hiro! Hiro! Are you alright!"

"Yeah, I'll fine? He stammered. "I thought I already answered that?"

"You guys have been silent for a few minutes. And we couldn't get a hold of you." Goro interjected.

"Oh! Sorry. Maybe we had a radio blackout or something?" He said think fast. "Anyway let's get back to the plantation before anything else happens."

"Good idea," Ichigo said. "Squad move out."

Quietly he said to Zero Two. "Come on. Let's join the others."

Strelizia nodded and they flew down to join the group.

* * *

Zero Two returned to her own mind and body when Streliza was docked in the launch bay.

Standing up she turned to face Hiro. "That was incredible Darling!" She stepped towards him and put a knee on his seat in-between his legs. She placed a finger on his chest and walked it up to his shoulder. "No one's ever piloted me like that before. She stated.

Suddenly he reached out and hugged her to his chest. It was so sudden that she collapsed on top of him. The position was warm and intimate. She could feel his toned muscles beneath his parasite suit and sudden something seemed to spark deep within her core. As she lay on top of him and was reminded of her long-lost Darling that had been taken from her.

"Thank you, Zero Two!" He whispered. "Without you, I would have never been able to experience piloting a FRANXX." "If you ever have need of me don't hesitate to ask! And if you ever need a pilot, come to me and I'll always be willing!"

"Thank you and I will." She whispered back.

Hiro suddenly seemed to realize what he had been doing and what position they were in. He quickly let go of her and stammered frantically. "I!… Um!... I'm s-sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

The sight of his panicking face was the funniest thing in the world and she burst out laughing. She rolled off him wheezing and giggling even harder. "Y-You should have seen your face!" She wheezed. "I-I wish I had a picture of that!" Rolling on the cockpit floor she continued to laugh fighting to regain control of herself.

When she had finally stopped laughing she gave him a smile. "We should leave before anyone gets suspicious."

"Right!" He leaped into the air, and she was forced to bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing again.

They made their way out of Streliza and down to the launch bay floor. When they arrived he was dragged by his friends who here bursting with questions.

She stood there watching. "This boy had to be her Darling; he just had to! Nobody except the boy from her childhood had ever made her feel the way she did. Everybody was either afraid of her or just used her like a tool. Not him. He hadn't been afraid of her! He seemed to genuinely care for her and want to protect her. Just like the boy from all those years ago!

The only problem is that he didn't remember her! They had wiped his memory just like the did with hers. Only because she was a monster and fought tooth and nail with herself did she retain most of her memories. She even had to eat her most prized possession, and even then those bastards had taken away his face! All she could recall of him were his presence and what it felt like to be with him. The name of that precious boy had been taken from her too! Damn Papa! He had taken everything from her! He had forced her to be his puppet with the promise that if she ever wanted to see her Darling again she would do what he said.

Had her Darling been here at Plantation 13 the whole time? She had been forced to fight with every other Plantation when she was with the Nines. But that elite squad had always had an excuse to not go to Plantation 13. When Dr. Franxx had taken her out of the Nines she remembers asking him. "Where are we going!"

His only reply had been. "Somewhere you'll enjoy." And then he had refused to answer any more questions on the subject.

Had Dr. Franxx smuggled her away so that she could reunite with her Darling!? Was the boy she had spent her whole life dedicated to finding right here in front of her!?

"I have to try!" She said to herself. "If it's him! Then I have to try and unlock his memories of me! " She pleaded a silent prayer. "Please Help Me! Please help me unlock his memories! All I have ever wanted is to have my Darling back! Please!"

"Come on Zero Two; I want to properly introduce you to the rest of Squad 13." He was standing there in front of her. His outstretched hand waiting for her. She grabbed it. Anything for her Darling! Anything!

* * *

Dr. Franxx was jubilant. These results were exactly what he was looking for! Finally, something was going his way! Hiro and Zero Two were a match far beyond anything he could have hoped for. If he hadn't been a stupid cunt and erased the boy's memories this could be only the tip of the iceberg. He had to find a way to reverse that mistake. Squad 13 was also turning into a dream come true. Thank god he had the foresight to request that they be a special research squad. As a result, they were more malleable to change and were less corrupted by Papa's teachings. He needed to exercise this advantage as well. Educating this squad on the forbidding teachings of the past would be essential. If he could get Hiro, Zero Two, and Squad 13 then humanity may still have a chance. This would require a lot of luck and careful playing of his cards; but if he could manage it, he could rectify his past mistakes.

A knock came from the door. Nana walked in. "Sir we have recovered the parasite's body. She's still alive but I fear not for long."

"Bring her in." He said intrigued.

Nana waved at the door and a stretcher being directed by Hachi hovered in carrying a body.

"Good work you two." He said. "Leave her here for now. I want you to make the necessary arraignments for Code 002 to be assigned to Squad 13. With Code 016 assigned as her stamen. Then await further orders."

"Yes, Sir." The both called before turning an exiting the room.

Thank god both of them were the administrators of Plantation 13. He had long converted them to his cause. Their assistance not to mention their silence would prove invaluable in later stages.

He chuckled to himself. He had been saying "Thank god." A lot lately. He had never been a religious man, but with stressful times ahead he liked to believe that there was something more watching over him than just his brain.

"I think a progress report is in order." He said to the wall. He got up and walked to the center of the room. Stopping he pulled out a glowing blue piece of tech from his pocket and threw it on the ground in front of him. Quickly he got down on one knee and a hologram flicked to life in front of him.

"My Queen." He said bowing his head.

The figured didn't open it's mouth put spoke directly to his mind. "I take it you have good news for me." She said in a haunting voice.

"Yes, my lady. Phase 1 is in effect and progressing smoothly for the moment."

"Can you give me a time that I can expect its completion?" She said.

"Unfortunately I cannot. A previous mistake I made before I joined your service will slow completion. However, I will do what I can to speed up this process."

"Very well you may proceed old friend."

He looked up into her beautifully haunting glowing blue eyes. "My lady. There was a victim of the trigger we used for phase 1."

"What of it. If so they were a necessary sacrifice."

"Of course my lady. However, she is still alive for the moment. If I can get her to you before she dies, then perhaps she may be of some use to you."

He watched her glowing eyes narrowing into a stare. "How so?" She asked.

"I believe she may be able to solve your problem." He said knowing that he had hit the bullseye.

She gazed at him for a long moment before speaking. "Bring her to me."

"As you wish My Queen." He said bowing his head.

The hologram flickered off. Standing up he walked over to the wounded and dying figure on the stretcher. He stared at the hole were her right eye had been and then to her missing left arm. "Let's hope you can be useful to her." He said to the figure. The figure gave no reply but just lay there dying.

"Chichu." He called to he glowing device.

A Klaxosaur that the queen had left in his service answered with a grunt.

"Cargo will be at the secret loading dock beneath the plantation. Be careful with her, she is in a delicate position! The Queen wants the cargo brought to her as fast as possible. Be careful to not hurt the cargo more than they already are. It's no use the Queen if it's dead."

The Klaxosaur gave a grunt of acknowledgment before terminating the connection.

Dr. Franxx guided the stretcher to a secret cargo lift. "Good luck." He said. The doors to the lift closed and the figure disappeared from sight.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Thank you for reading Chapter 3: Connections of the Jian Bird.

I would like to apologize for the delay. This chapter is almost twice as long as the previous chapters so unfortunately it got pushed back a few days.

If you have any questions or feedback feel free to let me know.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: Her Mark


	4. Chapter 4: Her Mark

It burns. It hurts. I'm on fire. Power. Darling. Protect. Memory. Klaxosaur. Horns. _Why does everyone hate her!_ Power. It burns. _I'm always alone thanks to these horns._ Screams. Screams of agony. They were torturing her. _The red little girl writhed in pain. "Why are you doing this to her!? Please stop, can't you see your hurting her!? What did she do to deserve this!?"_

Hiro awoke with a throbbing pain on his chest. His blood felt like it was on fire. He was sweating so much that his night clothes stuck to his body like a second skin.

His eyes flickered open. The room where he slept with Goro and Zorome seemed to be illuminated with a faint glow. Strangely the sun or moon wasn't out, so he wondered what the glow was coming from.

The pain on his chest throbbed and it seemed as though his heart was trying to burst from his chest. Instinctively he brought a hand up to the pain on his chest. When his hand reached his shirt above his heart he felt a big pulsating lump.

He sprung up like a bullet from a gun and nearly hit his head on the bunk above him. Quickly and silently he ran to the door and pulled it open. The hall was illuminated by the glow as well, and he could see it's every detail. Forcing himself to breathe, he walked down the hall, and then down the stairs to the lobby. Nobody had seen him, so he turned towards the bathrooms. Stepping into the boys he locked the door and turned on the lights.

Blinking rapidly to adjust to the light, he made his way over to a mirror above one of the sinks. Looking around again he checked to make sure nobody was watching him. He was in the clear so he pulled off his nightshirt and stared at his reflection.

On his chest above his heart, there was a throbbing blue growth. It pulsated in time with his heartbeat and his whole chest felt like it was on fire. He reached up to inspect it. The growth was soft but at the same time, he could feel a strong pulsating beat. Removing his hand he found that it came away sticking with some sort of blue substance. The substance was fascinating because it seemed like really thick blood. He watched as it glistened in the light. "This is fascinating." He thought to himself. What made it even more alluring is that it smelled almost sweet, and part of him wanted to know how it tasted.

He knew he shouldn't but the temptation was just too much to resists. Taking a finger he stuck it in his mouth. It tasted how it smelt. The substance was incredibly sweet. "It would be such a shame to wash it away." He thought innocently. So he used his tongue to clean off the rest of his fingers.

He had just licked off the last of it when a pain stabbed through his mind. His mind seemed to leave the bathroom and travel far into the past.

 _As she transferred her weight around onto her knees however, she gave a yelp of pain and immediately sat back down._

 _His eyes began searching frantically for her source of discomfort. It didn't take him very long, and within moments he noticed that one of her knees was bleeding, her blue blood dripping down her leg. Snow had melted in her wound and he noticed with increasing distress that her cut had barely healed at all, and her usual healing factor had been reduced to a crawl._

 _"Oh no she's bleeding." He thought frantically. "I've got to do something fast!"_

 _He looked at the snow around them. There had to be something. Anything that he could use to stop that bleeding. Just at that moment a memory of a lesson he had learned about animals came rushing back. Leaning forward he began to lick her wound cleaning it and engaging it to heal._

 _Zero Two gave a yelp of surprise and her whole body shuddered at the weird sensation._

 _"Endure it." He said kindly. "Supposedly animals lick their wound to heal them. I don't know if it will work but I'm going to give it a try."_

 _Returning to his task he began licking the blood that had welled up in her wound again. He had to make sure that she would be okay. She was his new reason to live, and that meant that it was his responsibly to protect her. Everything had gone out the window the moment she had first appeared in his life. Ever since he was a young child he had always felt that there was something more to his life. And as he tasted the metallic taste of her blood, he realized that making his own way through life free of the constraint the caretakers placed on him, was what he had always wanted._

Always wanted! Always wanted! Always wanted!

Hiro snapped back into the bathroom. Jolting forward he began to stumble around as he tried to get used to the blinding light of the bathroom again. His legs tangled, and he fell backward landing on his butt. When he landed, his teeth came down on the edge of his lip hard. "Ow!" Reaching up he felt his now bleeding lip. The wound felt like something sharp had pierced it.

Getting up quickly he walked over the sink and rinsed his bleeding lip. Red blood washed down the drain turning pink as it mixed with the water. Suddenly, a few drops of something blue dripped into the sink. Startled he reached up and whipped some of the blood onto his thumb. It was red. Looking up he checked in the mirror. His reflection stared back red blood glistening on his lip.

"Probably just imagining things." He muttered.

When his mouth was clean, he looked in the mirror to inspect his teeth. Immediately he knew something was off. Opening his mouth he saw that both his lower and upper sets of canines were longer than the rest of his teeth. Curious, he allowed his tongue to inspected them; rubbing and poking to confirm if they were indeed safe. The thought of large canine teeth was stabbing at him, and he tried to remember where he had noticed them before.

"Zero Two!" He gasped. When he kissed her their first time in the FRANXX; while his tongue was dancing around her mouth. She has large canines! He now felt a lot more comfortable with his new teeth. He kind of wanted to kiss her again, just to feel if they were the same. I wonder. What would she think if she felt mine? He hoped it would make her happy. It made him happy to know that there was one more thing that brought them closer together.

An argument erupted inside his head as two trains of thought collided. Maybe he should tell her. What if she doesn't like it though. No, we shouldn't lie! Yeah, but what if it scares her, or makes her angry. The thought of her in any sort of distress was something he would not permit even for a moment. But lying will only make it worse when she finds out. How about a comprise. We'll tell her, but only when we know fully whats going on. Giving her things to worry about when they maybe be nothing would be extremely distasteful. How about the growth on our chest, are we going to tell her about that? Same situations as the teeth; leave it until were know more.

"Speaking of the growth." He muttered. "I need to find my shirt or keeping quiet will be the least of my problems."

Spotting it he pulled it on. Luckily the growth wasn't big enough to be seen through the shirt. He glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"It's still only three in the morning." He sighed exasperated.

He wasn't going to try and sneak his way back to his bunk so he decided to crash on his favorite couch in his living room. It didn't take long for him to drift into a dream filled sleep.

* * *

"Your so beautiful Zero Two." He looked at her face slowly caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"No, I'm not! Everyone hates me! I'm a monster." She wailed turning away.

"No your not! And don't ever call yourself a monster again do you hear me! He corrected severely.

"Yes, I am! Everybody hates me and I'm just a monster trying to pretend she's not!"

He grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. She sat there sobbing into his chest. Leaning down to her ear he whispered. "Nobody hates you. And you're the most beautiful person in the world.

"B-But, I'm a monster." She cried into his chest.

"Not to me." He said soothingly. "Zero Two look at me."

She raised her head, and he looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"I love you!" And with that, he leaned down and kissed her.

They broke apart a few minutes later.

"Will you stay with me forever Zero Two?"

"Until the end of time, Darling!"

* * *

Hiro stirred in his sleep and became conscious of the fact that he was clutching something warm to his chest.

"Darling, if we stay like this somebody might walk in on us." Zero Two said cutting through his sleep.

His eyes shot open and were greeted with hers only a few centimeters away. Her warm soft breath tickling his face as her breathing slowly pressed her breasts up against his chest.

"Zero Two!" He cried, started. He let go of her quickly and tried to retreat into the couch. "When did you get here!"

In response, she nestled herself even closer to him. "A little bit ago." She said. "You looked so peaceful that I had to come and get a closer look."

"T-Thanks." He muttered still bewildered.

"Um, Zero Two. I didn't say anything in my sleep did I?"

She looked up at the ceiling and made a pondering face. "N-No not that I recall." She replied turning back to him and smiling. "Why? Were you having a nice dream?"

It had in fact been the most wonderful dream of his life! The memory of what had transpired, and been said made him blush. He felt his cheeks begin to burn like the sun.

"Y-Yeah it was nice." He said slowly; hoping she wouldn't ask anymore.

She did of course. "What was it about?"

"It was..… It was….. It was about swimming with fishes!" He lied quickly.

She gave him a suspicious look and smiled. "I think Darling is lying." She said playfully. She brought her hands up. "Darling should be punished." Her hands darted forward and she began to tickle him. The feeling of her hands running over his body made him laugh. He laughed and laughed; it felt so good that he was having trouble forming a sentence. "Zero Two! Sssss-t-t-t-oooppppp. He wheezed half-heartedly as he continued to giggle uncontrollably. She only continued her attack with a grin.

When she finally stopped he gasped in a lung full of air. He looked at her smiling face and gave an exhausted smile of his own. Now that she had stopped he kind of wished she hadn't.

"Darling like." She whispered in his ear.

"Darling likes." He whispered back.

Suddenly the sound of the rest of the squad's walking feet came from above them. "Urgh, why now!" He thought irritatable. They both reoriented themselves so that they were sitting upright. He made to get up but Zero Two quickly swung around placing her knees on either side of his hips. She was poised in front of him her faced only inches away from his.

"Zero Two!? What are you doing!?" He gasped in surprise.

"Shhh."

He knew that the squad was about to come down the stairs. If they looked in the living room Zero Two and himself would be in perfect view.

"You know that the rest of the squad is about to come down the stairs and see us?" He asked hurriedly.

"I know." She said calmly keeping one eye on the door.

She knew! Did that mean she wanted the squad to see them like this? Not that he minded too much, but he preferred to keep their moments of intimacy slightly more private.

Any second now somebody was going to spot them. He looked at her again but her attention was still on the door.

"What are you two doing!?" Zorome yelled in alarm.

The squad all hurriedly ran to the door. He could only see Goro and Ichigo out of the corner of his eye, but by the sound of voices, he knew that everybody was there.

"Nothing!" He called quickly, but he was interrupted by Zero Two.

"We're kissing." She stated.

Before he could do anything about it, she launched forward and crashed their lips together. Her tongue shot forward into his mouth and he felt an urge to do the same. Her saliva was so sweet it tasted as if she had just had candy in her mouth. He remembered his canines back from the bathroom. Eagerly he let his tongue dart forward to feel if she had them. She did! She had them too. A feeling a pleasure rushed through him. They both had matching teeth!

His happiness was immediately replaced by dread. Wait! What if she doesn't like them. What if she's scared. He looked up at her. She wasn't paying attention to him but was glaring at all the girls especially Ichigo. She was obviously communicating something to them but he couldn't see enough of her face to tell what. Plus, the taste of her mouth was making it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

He heard a chorus of stunned questions and gasps. "What the hell was that!" "Is that even allowed!" "What are you guys actually doing with your mouths!" "That's so cute!" The air was filled with such a modicum of noises he couldn't distinguish them all.

They broke apart after another few seconds. Quickly she got off the couch and grabbed his hand. She pulled and he allowed her to drag him towards the squad.

"Come on Darling, its breakfast time!" She said cheerfully walking past the squad and towards the mess hall. Things were moving so fast that he was having a hard time keeping up.

The caretakers of Mistiltienn had already set the tables, pilling them with more food then they could eat. The delicious smells of fresh bread, eggs, bacon, sausage, and ham all hung tantalizingly in the air. The tables glistened with an assortment of sparkling fruits that shown like gems stones. Pitchers of apple and orange juice dotted the tables; counterbalanced only by the energizing smells of tea and the rich aroma of coffee. Each table even had an extra pitcher of golden honey that shown like the sun.

Zero Two pulled him over to the boys' table and sat down in the chair usually occupied by Mitsuru. She patted the chair next to her and he sat down with only a moment's hesitation. The rest of the squad filled in muttering about the scene they had made in the living room.

"Ahh! Why is she sitting at the boys' table!" Zorome yelled in surprise.

"Settle down," Ichigo called. "Take your seat and we'll thank Papa."

The girls went and sat that their table and the boys grabbed seats that weren't occupied by himself and Zero Two. Mitsuru just stood in the doorway looking a little confused on where he should go.

"You can sit over here Mitsuru," Kokoro called warmly.

"Really? Well if its okay." Mitsuru said in surprise; before making his way over to her.

Kokoro's partner Futoshi made a slight noise of discontent but said nothing.

"Let's give thanks to Papa," Ichigo called.

The rest of the squad put their hands together, closed their eyes and began speaking. Hiro gave a moments hesitation before following along. "May Papa never thirst. May his heart be filled with peace for all eternity. We thank you O father. And ask that you forever guide us in our fight."

When he opened his eyes he saw that Zero Two was pouring the last of a pitcher of honey onto her plate. The food seemed to take on a whole new glow is it dripped with the golden honey. His stomach growled, and he glanced around to see if he could find the other pitch. The rest of the boys were wearing faces of confusion, as they watched her scrape the last of the honey onto her plate with her finger.

"Umm... Zero Two what are you doing?" He asked to cover the silence.

She didn't answer but selected a choice slice of bread from her plate. Grabbing it she turned to him.

"Here, Darling. Say, Ahh." And brought the bread to only inches in front of his face.

Surprised but delighted; he opened his mouth and took a bit out of the bread. It was so sweet that he decided that from now on he was always going to have honey with his bread.

"Like it?" She asked sweetly.

"Y-Yeah, it great!" He said eagerly.

He opened his mouth again and she continued to feed him. He was so engrossed in this experience that he didn't even hear the whispers of jealousy coming from the other boys.

When he had finished with the bread she turned to grab another piece of food from her plate. He watched her for a second before suddenly being vaulted into his own mind.

 _Absentmindedly he began to feel around in his pockets, trying to think of a way to interact with her. He hadn't been searching for long when he came across the two hard candies that the caretakers always gave him._

 _"Oh…" He exclaimed pulling them out._

 _Turning to her he said. "Here you go."_

 _Zero Two tilted her looking curiously at the candy he held out to her._

 _"It's food." He explained. "Here give me a second." Grabbing both ends of the wrapper he pulled and letting the candy fall into his hand. Turning to her he said. "Say, Aah."_

 _She opened her mouth and he placed the candy on her tongue. He watched her face light up as she began to suck on the candy. She was so excited that she bobbed up and down her legs flailing in uncontrollable enjoyment._

 _He chuckled as he watched her. That reaction was absolutely adorable._

 _When she had finally gotten over the pure excitement of tasting the candy, she made a noise to get his attention. He smiled and indicated to her that he was paying attention._

 _Grabbing the collar of the black robe she was wearing, she reached inside, and the book that she valued so much emerged when she pulled her hand back out. She looked at it for a moment and then held it out to him._

 _"What? " He said startled that she would present her most prized possession to him. "Are you sure I can see it?"_

 _She grunted and gestured from him to take it._

 _"Thank you." He said awed._

He blinked back into the present. Zero Two was looking through her plate for something else to feed him.

He reached forward and grabbed a honey-dripping chunk of sliced apple.

"Your turn Zero Two." He said, bring it to her mouth.

Her eyes widened with surprise and she opened her mouth.

He placed it on her tongue and she began to chew. She closed her eyes while she began to slowly chew, almost as if she was trying to prolong the sensation for a long as possible. He saw that her hand was trembling under to table and he reached out to grab it. "Whats wrong?" He said quietly. Hoping fervently that he hadn't done anything to upset her.

She squeezed his hand. Her attitude changing in an instant. "Nothing!" She replied jovially. "Now where is the ham I want to try honey on that next!"

* * *

"Come on Darling I want you to show me around!" Zero Two said after breakfast.

"O-Okay." This was a surprising turn of events. Did that mean she was going to stay here? I hope that's the case. He got up and gestured towards the door.

She bounded off after him and he began his tour. "As you can probably guess the room we just left is the mess hall. All our meals are provided for us so we never have to cook anything."

"This is the main lobby." He said when they arrived in the center of the room. "It has access to many of the rooms in the house." Turning he gestured towards the stairs that split halfway up. "Under each staircase is the boy's and girl's bathrooms respectfully. The lobby also contains an elevator that has access to the inside of the plantation." He chuckled as he realized that she would already know that."Although you probably already know that huh."

They walked over to a room that was attached to the lobby. "This is the living room. It's pretty much just a jumble of couches as you can see. However, it does have a nice view of the front yard."

Zero Two followed him as he walked back across the lobby. He turned and began to walk down a hallway. He stopped at a door and pushed it open. "This is the library. If you ever need to inquire about something then this is the place to go. There are also a few computers screens inlaid in some of the desks; if you need them."

Zero Two began to look around curiously. He watched as she scanned each of the books as if she was looking for something. "Do you have any picture books?" She inquired.

He thought for a moment before answering. "I don't think so. But I have never really looked; so I guess there could be some here."

Zero Two's shoulders gave an involuntary sag before she spun on her heels with a smile. "So whats next." She asked brightly.

"Oh. Y-Yes of course. Let's continue." They walked back to the lobby and took the stairs to the right. As they walked he saw that Nana was in the mess hall addressing the rest of the squad.

"Up here is one of the boys' rooms." He opened the door to the one he slept in. "I share this room with Goro and Zorome." Zero Two bounded forward and starting jumping on Goro's bed; a contented smile on her face. He took this opportunity to asked the question that he was dying to know. "Will you be staying here with us in Mistiltienn?" He asked hopefully.

"Yep, I got a notification from Dr. Franxx last night." She said jumping down.

"Really! That's great!" He cried happily. "Does that mean we officially partners now?"

"I would assume so, but he didn't give confirmation." She replied.

His spirits dropped just a little bit. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Come on I'll show you the rest of the house."

They walked down the rest of the hall and took another staircase up. A giant window ran all the way down the right side of the hallway. It had a beautiful view of the forest that sat inside the glass dome that was Mistiltienn.

"This forest was supposedly built to fine tune our parasite numbers." He said gesturing to the outside.

"How about the glass dome; was that built to help too?"

"Probably." He answered. "But even with the ceiling, it does still rain here."

"Rain?" She asked looking at him with confusion.

"Yeah. Water comes pouring down from the ceiling and everything becomes wet."

She gave a jump of excitement. "Really! I want to see that! Do it for me!"

He turned and grinned at her. "I can't. If I do it know you'll see how the trick works."

"Don't care! Wanna see!" She said partially bouncing on her feet.

"Nah, you'll like it better if it's a surprise." He teased as he continued to walk down the hall.

"No, wanna see now!" She whined playfully chasing after him.

"Nope." He said with a grin fighting to keep as straight a face as possible.

"What if I said that I really wanna see!?"

"You're outta luck." He replied practically biting his tongue to keep from laughing.

"Darling's an ass!" She cried throwing her arms around him.

He burst out laughing. "If you wanna know you'll have to catch me!" And with that, he burst out from under her and started running down the hall; laughing all the way.

"I'm going to catch you!" She cried cheerfully charging off after him.

* * *

Ichigo had never seen such peculiar behavior in her life. Hiro and Zero Two were behaving so oddly. The squad comes downstairs to have breakfast and their smashing their mouths together. What did she call it "Kissing"? And Zero Two had given her that glare. That glare that communicated clear as day that. "He's mine!" They had then spent the next twenty minutes affectionally feeding each other. Completely obvious to everyone around them. Well, she couldn't blame them. Even she kind of wished, that Goro would do that to her. Unfortunately, she'd probably be so embarrassed that, it wouldn't give the same desirable results. But still to be that engrossed in each other that they completely ignored everything else was kind of scary.

It wasn't that she minded them being close. It was just that it seemed to be so extreme that it was almost unnatural. What if Zero Two's possessiveness of Hiro wasn't because she liked him, but was because she wanted to use him! Zero Two had been given the name "Partner Killer" for a reason. What if all she wanted to do was kill him; and right now she was just toying with her prey. Was Hiro about to become just another meal for her to feed on!? The rumors said that Zero Two had Klaxosaur blood. Klaxosaur's were savage beasts that wanted to destroy humanity. Or were they? When she had destroyed that egg the Klaxosaur hadn't given a damn about anything else but it's egg. It had seemed genuinely distraught and desperate; which was something that savages wouldn't have possessed. But Zero Two didn't have eggs to protect. So did that mean she was just as savage as the rest of the Klaxosaurs?

Hiro wasn't helping to make her decision any easier. Ever since that day back at the Garden Hiro had always been dark and brooding; his light only sometimes barely poking its way out. But ever since he had met Zero Two he seemed to be so happy and full of energy. It reminded her of the boy she used to admire when they were children.

What was she supposed to do? She wanted to make Hiro happy but at what cost. Did that mean she would have to watch as her friend was slowly eaten by some monster? She just didn't know enough about Zero Two. Why would she invest so much in someone she was just going to destroy? Maybe it was because she enjoyed playing sadistic mind games? But what if I'm missing something? Is there some piece to the puzzle I simply don't have?

She looked over at Goro. His mind was obviously running along similar lines to hers. They had both tried to keep their friend safe but to no avail. But was Hiro really in danger? Were they needlessly wasting energy on trying to separate Hiro from Zero Two? Or did they need to double down on their efforts?

Nana came into the mess hall a few minutes later. "Alright everybody I have some announcements to make." She called.

Immediately the buzz of conversations died and everyone gave their attention to Nana.

"Plantation 13 will be conducting a kissing operation with Plantation 26 to refill our magma reserves. Scans already indicate that Klaxosaurs are massing to launch an attack on the plantations. You will be participating in a joint operation with Squad 26 to repel this attack. Details for the mission will be given at the briefing when Plantation 26 arrives and we begin refueling."

Nervous excitement broke around the room. Everybody discussing the operation and anticipating the fight to come. Ikuno asked the questions that Ichigo was about to ask herself. "Why is this operation called kissing?"

Nana gave her a puzzled look before answering. "I am unsure. It's to my knowledge always been called that however so that's the name we use."

The mention of kissing reminded her of what Zero Two and Hiro had been doing this morning. Hadn't Zero Two called what they had been doing kissing as well? I wonder why they're both called kissing?

Nana coughed to get everyone's attention before continuing with her next announcement. "Also Zero Two will be living here in Mistiltienn. Please do your best to make her feel welcome."

Ichigo's question was already ready to go before Nana finished speaking. "Does that mean Hiro is Zero Two's partner?" She asked hurriedly.

"Yes," Nana replied simply. "Hiro, you be briefed on your new assignment later today." She looked around noticing for the first time that Hiro and Zero Two weren't in the mess hall. "Where are Hiro and Zero Two?" She asked looking at the group.

"Zero Two said that she wanted a tour of the house. They left a few minutes ago." Miku said answering Nana's question.

Nana gave a nod. "Thank you, I will be sure to give them a notification later."

"As for the rest of you. You may do what you like until the time of the briefing. Please be sure to arrive when you are called."

She walked out of the mess hall and disappeared around the corner.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the day when the squad was called for their briefing. Hiro and Zero Two had been gone all day and Ichigo had no idea where they had went. She hoped that they would make it to the briefing in time. If they didn't she may have to give them both a scolding for not following orders, but she hoped it didn't come to that.

She and the rest of the squad arrived in the briefing room a few minutes early. Squad 26 was already there waiting for them. The one that she presumed was their leader walked up to her.

"You must be Code 015." He stated confidently but pleasantly. "My Code is 090. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Ichigo said. "It will be a privilege to work with a squad with such experience as yours."

"I thank you. I would say that I am intrigued to see how your squad performs as well."

Ichigo felt there was something odd in that sentence but could identify what. "Oh, really? Please do elaborate."

"For a start, all your FRANXX have different designs from one another."

Mitsuru interrupted before Ichigo could inquire. "Is that so irregular? I thought all FRANXX had different designs."

"It is in-fact. Your squad is the only one I have ever heard of where each member's FRANXX is unique. Most every other squad uses the standard FRANXX model that we use."

That was surprising news. Ichigo was under the same impression as Mitsuru that all FRANXXs were unique to the pilots. If what Code 090 said was true when I wonder why Squad 13 is so different. Are we somehow defective? She didn't like to think so, but being told that Squad 13 was vastly different from everyone else made her consider that as an option. She liked to think that they had performed well on their previous mission even if it had resulted in failure. But maybe they had failed. If that was the case, then it was her fault as squad leader. She would need to do better from now on.

Code 090 continued breaking her train of thought. "Well since our team has been fighting the Klaxosaurs for longer than yours. If any of you guy have any questions I will do my best to answer them."

Zorome began speaking before he had even finished. "I have one. Have any children from your squad become adults?"

Code 090 gave him a very confused look. "Of course not. Our purpose in life is to fight and die for Papa."

Hachi entered the briefing room before they could continue their conversation. "Take your seats, everyone, the briefing is about to begin.

They all took their seats and the lights in the room dimmed. The briefing display was the only thing illuminating the room. The light it cast flickered as it changed from one image to another.

Hachi cleared his throat and began. "Our last scan indicated that the Klaxosaurs will arrive here by tomorrow at 18:00 hours. No matter how much we rush we cannot complete the kissing before then. You will be facing a minimum of one hundred to one hundred and fifty Klaxosaurs."

"One hundred and fifty!" Futoshi exclaimed.

Hachi continued on without comment. "The squads will be placed in two defensive lines. Squad 26 will be the vanguard and Squad 13 will be placed behind them as backup.

"What! Why are we the backup!" Zorome cried angrily.

"Our squad can link up more reliably; we'll work better by ourselves." Code 090 said calmly as if stating a fact.

"If I'm not mistaken he just called us dead weight," Miku muttered darkly.

Hachi coughed and brought their attention back to the briefing screen. "Defending the main pipe link between the two plantations is the top priority. So we are deploying a FRANXX capable of solo combat here."

Do we have such a FRANXX?" Code 090 asked.

"Yes, we do. Strelizia will be placed at this juncture."

Code 090 jumped up with terror written all over his face. "S-Strelizia?" His voice shaking with uncontrollable hatred.

Just then the door to the briefing room slide open. Nana was leading Zero Two and Hiro. "Sorry, we're late."

* * *

Hiro had spent the whole day running around Mistiltienn with Zero Two. Together they had penetrated deep into the forest around the house. Mistiltienn contained far more thing then he had ever expected. They had found several little lakes nestled in secret groves. It had been very difficult to keep Zero Two away from the water. Only with the promise that they would come back better prepared did he manage to convince her not to strip and jump in. They had also explored this awesome cave system that emerged at the top of a hill that overlooked all of Mistiltienn. He personal favorite, however, was a beautiful little waterfall that collected in a clear pool before gently flowing on. The pool was ringed with cherry trees which in the spring would bloom the same beautiful shade of pink that Zero Two's hair was. He mentally kicked himself for not telling her this when they were still at the pool. He would have gladly spent the rest of the day exploring with her. Unfortunately, they had gotten a call from Dr. Franxx which forced them to break off their day.

The door to the doctor's office hissed open and they stepped inside. The room was dark and filled with glowing display screens. Dr. Franxx was sitting behind a desk; his mechanical face illuminated by the light of a display below him. The Doctor looked up as they approached; his eyes fixated on Hiro. He felt like he was being x-rayed by the doctor's piercing gaze. He took a deep breath before breaking the silence. "You asked to see us, Sir." He said politely.

The doctor said nothing for a moment his eye's moving to glance at Zero Two. After another moment he spoke; his mechanical voice making his tone difficult to read. "I did."

His eyes shifted back to Hiro before he spoke again. "I have your new assignment. You have been promoted to the rank of parasite just like the rest of your squad mates."

His excitement was growing more and more rampant every second that past. If he was a parasite then there was only one other person at Plantation 13 you didn't have a partner. Does this mean Zero Two and I are official partners?

He was so excited that he almost missed the doctor's next sentence. "You have also been officially assigned as Strelizia's stamen."

His excitement and joy were on the verge of over following. "Really Sir! I-I mean thank you, Sir!"

"You can thank me by remaining with Zero Two. She could use a more stable partner from now on."

He released some of his pent-up energy by sneaking his hand into Zero Two's and giving it a little squeeze. "Yes, Sir! I will be sure to give it my very best."

"Good. Now there is something I would like you two to test for me."

This was a surprise. He wondered how much better this day could get.

"I am going to have you two test out a modification to your parasite suits." The doctor swiped his fingers up and a holographic display showed a male and female parasite suit. Design wise they didn't look any different than normal. The only thing that had changed was the coloration. The female one was crimson with dark blue markings and the male one was the exact opposite being dark blue with crimson markings.

"What exactly are we testing Sir?" He asked slightly confused.

"If this works properly when it should allow a pistil and stamen to reach a deeper state of connection; thus allowing for them to fight more effectively."

"And if it doesn't?" Hiro asked hesitantly. He liked the sound of being closer to Zero Two, but not for the cost of one of them getting killed for it.

"If it doesn't work then it will function like a regular parasite suit." The doctor said.

"Was long as its okay with Zero Two then I'm all for it." He turned to look at Zero Two.

"Sure thing Darling." She replied smiling. "Let's see what more potential we can draw out of you."

Before he could respond Dr. Franxx interrupted. "Very good. Now I believe you too are late for a briefing."

The doctor signaled and Nana stepped in through the door behind them. "Your squad mates are already being briefed. Let's go."

Zero Two took the lead and they walked off towards the briefing room. Hiro was still processing the fact that he had been officially made Zero Two's partner. If either of them had turned around at that moment they would have seen the biggest smile positively radiating off his face.

Nana stopped them before they enter the room. "This is a joint operation between Squad 26 and Squad 13. If you two have any questions please wait until the end as to not to interrupt."

The door slide open. "Sorry, we're late," Nana said as she stepped through the door and gestured for Zero Two and Hiro to enter.

When Hiro stepped into the room and immediately felt the hostility. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he spotted a stamen from Squad 26 staring at Zero Two with anger and terror written all over his face.

"Has it been made official?" Hachi asked.

"Yes, Hiro is now officially Strelizia's Stamen," Nana replied.

"Very good. Now.."

Hachi was cut off by the stamen in the middle of the room. "We can't fight alongside Strelizia!" His voice was shaking with barely suppressed rage as he stroud forward.

"Code 090 the plan is already been finalized. We are not changing it just because you are uncomfortable." Hachi said calmly.

"But…" He pointed a finger accusing at Zero Two; his voice shaking as he struggled to maintain control. "That girl does not care about her allies! How can we trust her to have our backs!.

Code 090 turned to Zero Two and glared. "Code 002, you know what I mean."

Zero Two eyed the stamen with suspicion. "What are you talking about?"

The gates on Code 090 rage broke and he began to yell. "The joint operation two years ago! Your reckless fighting style got us isolated on the battlefield, AND I LOST MY PARTNER!

"Huh… doesn't ring a bell," she replied looking away. "Weakling die. Big deal."

Code 090 faced contorted with fury, and he started forward towards her, his hand clenching into fists.

Hiro jumped in front of Zero Two shielding her. "I'll keep Zero Two from going out of control. I'm her partner. If you have any problems with her you bring them to me."

The leader of Squad 26 stared at him with pure hatred. "Get out of my way." He growled his voice coated in loathing.

The growth on Hiro's chest pulsated painfully and he felt a surge of power wash over him. The urge to bare his new fangs was becoming overwhelming and he wanted nothing more than to rip Code 090 apart. "If you take one more step you're going to get hurt." Hiro's eyes dimly began to glow icy blue. Just enough so that Code 090 could see; but not enough that it could be seen by everyone else. Fear entered the stamens face and he took a small step back. Hiro wasn't stratified and began to snarl at him. "I suggest you make your way back to your seat and stay there." The stamen didn't move he just stood frozen. "And I suggest you do it NOW."

"You're a monster. Just like her." The stamen said, horror creeping into his voice.

"Good. Then that means you'll stay away from us." He said with an icy smile.

He turned and held out his hand while giving Zero Two the warmest smile he could possibly give. "Come on Zero Two let's go find a seat."

Tears were sliding down her face as she looked at him. All he wanted to do was whip them away but doing so would cause a bigger scene then he already had. Gently he reached out and guided her over the rest of Squad 13. They were all looking at him with expressions of shock and confusion. He squeezed Zero Two's hand and then gave the rest of Squad 13 smile.

He leaned over to Ichigo and Goro. "Hey, would you mind filling me in on all the details when this is over? I'm afraid I may have missed a few points."

They stared at him completely taken aback by his change in attitude. "Y-Yes of course." They both replied still in shock.

"Thanks." He whispered back.

Hachi cleared his throat noisily as to get everyone's attention. "Both Squads need to be ready to launch by 17:00 hours tomorrow. You are dismissed."

* * *

Hiro gave her the smile she loved so much. She was now more certain than ever that he was her Darling from back then. Nobody except him had ever protected her from anything. Nobody except him had ever cared about her. Everybody except him had hated her because she was a monster. But there he was; smiling at her like there was no other place he would rather be. She wanted desperately to sink into that smile. To curl up in his protective arms and never leave.

How could she make him remember! How could she unlock his memories! If only she could just tell him. Tell him of the promises they had made all those years ago. Tell him that she was the monster that he had saved. Tell him that her sole purpose in living was to be with him again. If only it were that simple; she would have done it in a heartbeat. She would have spilled everything to him. Everything that she had ever done; and everything she had ever wanted. But it could never be that simple. Her only hope was that she could use triggers to help him remember. But what could she do! What triggers could she use to help him remember! Please! Please! Please tell me what to do! Tell me how I beg you!

"Zero Two." He said getting her attention. He stood there in his nightclothes gesturing to a bed. "Since you are now officially part of Squad 13 this will be your room to sleep in."

She smiled. She didn't care what room it was if she could be with her Darling. "Thank you, Darling."

He blushed slightly before continuing. "Well if there anything you need, or I can help you with just let me know. Okay."

She had to indulge herself. Just once. "Darling."

He looked at her with his kind and curious face. "Yes?"

She took a deep breath. "Would you stay with me tonight? At least just for one night."

She watched his cheeks flush the brightest scarlet. He took a deep breath before looking at her an answering."If you're sure. Then I would like nothing better."

"Thank you, Darling."

They both moved and sat on the bed each not sure you should make the first move. She really wanted him to make the first move. If he did she could curl up in his arms and be nestled in his hold.

Pat.

She looked over at the window. Something had just hit the roof outside and made a noise.

She heard Hiro gasp. He stood up quickly and grabbed her hand. "Come on I want to show you something!" He looked at her excited. "Come on your going to miss it!"

"Okay, Okay, I'm coming."

They ran through the house. Their running feet pounding against the floorboards. Hiro was leading her by her hand urging her for more speed. They made it to the front doors and he threw them open. They ran out into the yard; which was bathed in soft moonlight.

Hiro stopped her in the middle of the yard. Her heart was pounding with the anticipation of what was to come. "Darling, Wha…"

He cut her off. "Shhh. Look up at the sky and close your eyes for me please."

Confused she did what she was told. She waited with baited breath. And waited. And waited. And waited.

Suddenly something cold and wet hit her face. She gasped. It was so unexpected that she didn't know what to do.

Pat. Pat. Pat. Patpatpatpaptapptaptpatpat. Droplets of water were falling from the sky and splashing against her face. She suddenly felt a rush of joy. It's raining! Darling had made it rain for her!

Her voice cracked with excitement. "Darling you made it rain for me!"

She laughed and began to run circles around the yard feeling the rain splash onto her as it fell. "Darling made it rain!" "Darling made it rain!" She chanted happily as she ran around the yard.

"Thank you, Darling!" She cried.

"Now I got to make sure you don't get to carried away!" He said laughing as he began to chase after her.

She gave a squeal of delight and began to run in circles while he tried to catch her. The rain steadily fell as it washed over the two birds, flying happily around the yard.

* * *

Ichigo watched from a window above them. The two partners chased each around the yard laughing and giggling in the rain. It was like some bizarre dance. The two birds circling each other. Each so engrossed in the other that they cared for nothing outside of each others presence.

They looked so happy. The expression of pure joy on Hiro's face threatened to make her heart melt. How could she separate them after seeing this? If she took away Zero Two; what would it do to Hiro. How emotionally damaged would he be?

Zero Two seemed like she was a completely different person from earlier. Zero Two had been hostile towards everybody. The glare she had given her this morning, and the way that she had brutally dismissed the boy from Plantation 26. Those actions had been so cold, that the mere thought of them sent shivers down her spine. But look at her now. All of it was gone. Her hatred, anger, ruthlessness, and uncaring attitude were all gone. Replaced with an expression of eternal joy. What had happened to her to make her like this? Which version of Zero Two was the real one? It had to be the one she was watching right now. You could fake anger and everything else. But this? She didn't know if even the greatest con artist could pull off what she was seeing right now.

She watched as Hiro continued to chase Zero Two. She remembered how Hiro and jumped in front of Zero Two to shield her from the wraith of Code 090. Ichigo had never seen Hiro's face contort into so much hatred. She shivered. When Code 090 had tried to get at Zero Two. The amount of pure hatred in Hiro's voice was something she would never forget. If that situation had gone any farther than it did. Ichigo was sure that Code 090 would be lucky to be alive if at all. She never wanted to see her friend like that again.

She couldn't tear Hiro and Zero Two apart. Even if riding with Zero Two killed Hiro after their third time. If she separated them just to keep Hiro physically alive; she would then emotionally and spiritually kill him instead. There was no other choice. All she could do was hope and pray that the rumors about Zero Two were false.

Goro walked in behind her and came to the window. They watched as the partners continued their flight around the yard.

"Ichigo," Goro said quietly. "I don't think we should try to separate them anymore."

She sighed. "I know. All we can do is hope that the rumors about her are false."

Tears began to slide down her face and her voice caught in her throat. "Because if not…"

Goro reached an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest. His voiced cracked as he began speaking "All we can do is hope."

Goro looked down at Zero Two and whispered. "He's in your hands now Zero Two. Make the most of it."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 4: Her Mark of The Jian Bird.

If you have a feedback or suggests feel free to let me know.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: We Fly Together


	5. Chapter 5: We Fly Together

The morning sun was slowing prodded Ichigo awake. Her eyes flickered open to embrace the slowly lighting room around her. She really should try to go back to sleep. The defense of the plantations would probably take all night, and she should try to be as rested as possible. But alas, her body had decided to wake her up now, and she had never been very good at falling back to sleep. Jealousy, she looked over at Kokoro and Miku, who were still fast asleep in their beds. That least for today that would be a useful skill to have.

Sighing she got up. Might as well do something productive while I wait for the rest of the squad. She pulled open the drawer that delivered a fresh parasite uniform every morning. She put it on and made her way to the door. Pulling it open she walked down the hall towards the staircase. She stopped before descending. She could see the faint outlines of two pairs of wet footprints. Hiro had obviously returned to Zero Two's room with her. There wasn't a pair of return prints, however; which meant that Hiro was still with Zero Two. She gave an exasperated sigh. Zero Two's room was on the floor above the rest of the bedrooms so technically he wasn't in the girl's wing. However, boys and girls sleeping together was something that was disapproved of by Papa.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Right now she didn't have to heart to bust down Zero Two's door and extract Hiro from her room. She contented herself with making a mental note to remind Hiro of the rules.

She was still baffled by the behavior of Hiro and Zero Two. She had never seen or even heard of parasites behaving in the way that they did. What was it that they found so fascinating about each other, that they would spend every moment they could together.

Maybe there was something to be learned by observing their behavior. Hiro and Zero Two had the highest sync rate of the entire squad after all. She thought back to what she had seen in the magma mine. Strelizia had carved through the Klaxosaurs like butter and she had done it in seconds. If the whole squad could emulate that kind of effectiveness then maybe one day the war with the Klaxosaurs would be over. Maybe then she and her squad mates could serve more of a purpose than to fight.

As she was thinking of the mine she was reminded of another particular experience. That Klaxosaur with the eggs. It was the first time she had ever seen a Klaxosaur behave so strangely. She remembered its cry of agony that had somehow managed to pull at her emotions so deeply.

She had cut the egg because they were obviously of some value to the Klaxosaur. But why were they so important? Come to think of it. What is that type of egg? Ikuno had said they looked like eggs but she was interrupted before she could explain what this egg was. All Ichigo knew of eggs were that they were a delicious food source. However, she got the feeling that those Klaxosaur eggs, had somehow been more than mere food.

Well, there was only one place to go in Mistilteinn if you wanted answers. She made her way towards the library. She had never spent to much time in there but now she hoped that it contained the answers she needed. She pushed open the door and looked around. Nobody was there except her. She made her way over to one of the computers inlaid in the desk. She tapped the screen and it came alive. She looked through the icons until she found the one she was looking for. "Database." She tapped on it and a search bar came up. "Klaxosaur." She typed. An info screen appeared and she read through it carefully.

 **Klaxosaur:**

Composition: Biomechanical

Additional info: Advanced specimens have been seen to use their bodies to regenerate or create smaller minions. Larger variants have been seen to transform their bodies to adapt to different circumstances.

Sustenance: Magma Energy

Origin: Unkown

Time fighting: Over a century

Motive: Unknown

Status: Hostile

Types: Innumerable

Addition information: Smaller variants are more common. List of named and identified Klaxosaurs classes: Conrad, Mohorovic, Gutenberg, Super Lehmann.

Super Lehmann: Plantation sized and exceedingly rare. Should not be engaged unless absolutely necessary.

That was kind of vague. She thought irritated. After over a century of fighting Klaxosaurs, this is all we have? She had already been taught this stuff back at the Garden. Why didn't the official plantation records have more than a training course? There had been no mention of eggs for even behavioral patterns outside of them being hostile. There's got to be more to it then whatever this is.

She back up to the search bar again and typed. "Eggs."

 **Eggs:**

A food source that contains protein. Can be used in a variety of cooking situations. A common and reliable breakfast item.

"Oh come on." She said now thoroughly irritated.

Was this really all there is?

Let's try books. She backed up to the library search icon. "Eggs." She typed in. A small list of books popped up. The one that caught her eye was a biology book. She highlighted it and the computer told her where to find it on the self. Getting up she walked over to it and pulled it down from the shelf. Flipping through she found the passage she was looking for.

1:"Eggs" a term used to refer to a food item. Chicken eggs are commonly used in breakfast dishes."

2: A reproductive cell carried by the females of all species. Used in the production of offspring if united with the male cell known as sperm. Can be used as a method of delivery in certain species such as birds, reptiles, and fish. In female mammals is flushed out once a month in the form of blood from the female genitals.

Ichigo looked down at herself. Does that mean I have eggs inside of me!? She had been told that the blood that leaked out of her once a month was from the stress of piloting a FRANXX. She had also been told that the only reason that the girls and boys had different genitals was that they were necessary to pilot a FRANXX. But this book stated otherwise. Who was lying? Papa, or the book? She had been believing the teachings of Papa her whole life, but this was the first time she had ever questioned it. Why were Papa's teachings so vague?

Now she had more questions then when she had started. Not only had she not gotten an answer to what the things in the mine were. But now she needed to know what words like reproductive, offspring, and sperm meant.

Her mind was a mess of thoughts and unanswered questions. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"If somebody would come down with a convenient Encyclopedia that answers all this; I would be eternally grateful." She muttered.

"Argh." Distractions were the last thing I need today. The fate of two plantations rests on my ability to lead the squad. I need to concentrate on preparing my team instead of useless questions.

Useless questions were all she could think about at the moment, however. She gave herself a very hard smack. It hurt a lot, but it did what it was supposed to. Momentarily she was distracted from her questions. She took a deep breath. Wait until after the defense of the plantations. Then I can devote more effort into researching this.

Unconsciously she brushed some hairs from her face. They fell back to where the had been. She brushed it away again but it still fell back into place. She realized that she wasn't wearing the hair clip that she usually wore. Great, I'm already forgetting things and we haven't even had breakfast.

Goro came into the library a little while later.

"There you are. I've been looking for you." He said relieved.

"Why were you looking for me so early?" She said somewhat confused.

"It's not that early anymore. Everyone except you is in the living room. I didn't see you there and Miku said she hadn't seen you all morning."

Ichigo looked over at the clock and yelped. It was that late already! How long had she been in here for!?

Goro starting chuckling at the way she had yelped.

"It wasn't that funny." She said with pretend irritation.

"Yeah, it kind of was." He said smiling, but trying to contain his laughter.

"Hmph." She reached up to brush the hair out of her eyes.

Goro noticed that she wasn't wearing her hair clip. "Where's your hair clip?"

"Probably somewhere upstairs. I'll look for it whenever I find myself up there again." She said absentmindedly.

Goro hesitated before reaching into a pocket. "Well if you want, you can use this one." He held out a lime green hair clip.

"Oh! T-Thank you." She said a little surprised. "Where'd you get it?"

Goro blushed scarlet and said embarrassed. "I've always had it. I was going to give it to you as a present one year but Hiro beat me to the punch. But I guess since you're in need of one right now; there's no sense in holding on to it for any longer."

Ichigo's cheeks began to flush and she felt a strange tightening in her stomach. Goro had wanted to give her a present! Her heart began to race as she looked up into his handsome chestnut eyes. She didn't know why she felt so excited but somehow she felt instinctually drawn to him.

"Thank you, Goro." She said warmly with a slight blush.

"Your welcome. I'm just glad I got to give it to you." He said still slightly embarrassed.

She took it from his hand and inspected it. It was the exact same clip as the one Hiro had given her back at the Garden; except this one was lime green. Smiling she pulled her hair to the side and attached the clip. "How do I look?" She said shyly.

Goro stood stunned for a moment. He looked like he was having trouble forming a sentence. "B-Beautiful." He said stunned. "I am really glad the clip matches your eyes. I was so afraid that it wouldn't."

He seemed to snap out of his reverie with a cough. "Anyways, If you were wondering where the rest of the squad is, were in the living room."

She shook herself and got up to follow him. "I should probably join the others as well."

* * *

Two birds were nestled in a nest. Each comforted and empowered by each others presence. Each had one wing; together they made a pair. For now, they could only lean on each other to fly. But someday, maybe when the veil of forgetfulness was lifted, they could fly as one.

* * *

Hiro was sitting on his favorite couch aside Zero Two. The couch was just big enough to fit the two of them. Fortunately for him, that meant that they were nestled close together. If it had been anyone else he might have found it uncomfortable, but with Zero Two he didn't mind at all.

They had spent an exuberant amount of time together since they had met. They were like magnets that you simply couldn't tear apart no matter how much you tried. Part of him wondered why they were drawn to each other so strongly. Another part didn't give a damn, just as long as they could continue. Last night was a perfect example. The memory of her laughing face as he chased her through the rain would forever be implanted in his mind. As if that evening couldn't have gotten any more perfect, they had then slept in the same bed. He used to think that if two people tried to sleep in the same bed it would be uncomfortable since they would be constantly bumping into each other. His previous theory had one major flaw in it. It hadn't accounted for a Zero Two factor. The feeling of her warm body in his arms was something he was sorely going to miss. Waking up without a goddess in his arms was going to be tough but unfortunately, the bliss was going to have to stop.

The growth on his chest had gotten even bigger and when he was away from Zero Two it throbbed so painfully that he wanted to wince every time. It was weird how Zero Two seemed to be a salve for the growth. If he was close to her he didn't feel it, but as soon as he stepped away he felt it again. But he couldn't risk her finding out. If he couldn't explain what it was, it would defiantly scare her. The final and unfortunate nail in the coffin was Goro. Goro had given him a look this morning that told him that he knew exactly who he had been with last night and why. Hiro couldn't blame him either. He was fully aware that sleeping with Zero Two was an action that Papa might not entirely approve of. Sleeping together was something that was going to have to stop for the moment even if he didn't want it to. It was just to risky a maneuver to pull when it was breaking rules and exposing the growth on his chest.

Hiro slowly drifted back into the conversation that the rest of the squad was having.

"Do you think they'll be anymore Klaxosaurs than in yesterdays report?" Futoshi asked the group at large.

"I wouldn't be surprised. They've had more than enough time to amass more numbers since yesterdays briefing." Mitsuru replied with his uncaring tone.

"Let's hope not too many. Otherwise, Strelizia will have to bail us out again." Ikuno said dryly.

Kokoro's kind voice interject next. "Both of them really shone in that last battle. They're really impressive."

Hiro gave a slight blush of embarrassment. "You guys were the ones who did all the heavy lifting. I was just there for clean up; and even then Zero Two the one who did all the work."

Zero Two began to interject but Zorome already had a comment going before she spoke. "Yeah, and don't you forget it. You don't want to get too cocky and then get left behind."

Hiro took a deep breath. Maybe now that he had what he wanted he should try to extend an olive branch to Zorome. He got up and began walking towards Zorome. "I'll try my best not to be a burden. Hey, and since I'm still new to this maybe you wouldn't mind showing me the ropes sometime?" He held out his hand.

"O-Okay…" Zorome smiled and shook his hand. "All right fine! We'll get you up to speed in no time don't you worry."

Zorome's partner Miku made a poking comment and they started arguing. The atmosphere in the room brightened as everyone began laughing at their fight. Hiro returned to his seat with Zero Two. They didn't say anything they just sat and watched the two partners fight.

Goro had left a few minutes ago but now he returned with Ichigo. Ichigo's usual white hair clip was replaced with a lime green one. Hiro kind of liked this new one, because it matched her eyes. He suspected that Goro had given it to her as a present; maybe as a way to strengthen their bond. That was a wonderful idea! He should get Zero Two a present. But what should he give her? Now that he thought about it he didn't know what she liked outside of honey and candy. But getting her more of that would kind of be a waste seeing how she always had a steady supply of both. Hmm… He was going to need to do some observing in order to find out what he should get her.

Ichigo gave a loud cough and the room silenced immediately. She took a deep breath and began to speak. "I would just like to thank everybody in advance for participating in the defense of the plantations today. Even though we are the backup, we are the last line of defense against the Klaxosaurs. So, even though we might not get the most glorious job, we will serve as the shield that protects humanity from destruction. I hope that you are all aware that there is no other squad I would rather be a part of, than this one."

Cheers of approval rang around the room. Everyone was invigorated with new energy to do their best in the defense of the plantations. This was the day that they would prove to Papa and everyone else that they were just as capable as any other squad.

This would be his third ride with Zero Two. Today he was going to prove all the rumors about her false. Today was the day that he would begin to truly fly with his true partner.

* * *

He gazed at his new parasite suit. The suit was such a rich shade of navy blue that seemed like he could be lost in its depths forever. The suit had crimson red ascents that seemed to gleam like rubies. Excitedly he noted that they looked to be the same shade of red as Zero Two's horns. The part that he thought was interesting was the gold colored strips that ran down the center line of each section of the suit. He slowly began to pull it on. Suddenly the growth on his chest throbbed painfully. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out. His new canines bit painfully into his tongue but it had stopped him from screaming. He realized in horror that if any of the other boys look over at him, they would see the growth. Quickly he pulled the rest of the suit on. He could still see the throbbing growth beneath the skin-tight suit. He hoped that the chest padding would cover the growth. Thankfully it did. Now all he had to do was keep from groaning in pain. The throbbing had gotten a thousand times worse than yesterday. He felt like he was being stabbed over and over again.

"Whats with the new suit?" Goro asked interrupting him from his thoughts.

"The doctor wanted Zero Two and I to test them." He explained gritting his teeth to keep from groaning. "They're supposed to let us connect better, but it doesn't feel any different so…?" He gave a little shrug and spread his hands. He smiled. "I guess I'll tell you if they work after the mission."

Hiro turned to leave when Goro called to him. "Good luck! Don't get to lost in her though. It would be a pain to try to find you again."

He laughed. "I'll try not to!" He called back. Good luck on the ground."

The door slide open and he stepped out. He walked down the hall towards the launch bay the growth still pulsating painfully on his chest.

"If this gets any worse I'm going to be in trouble." He thought.

Zero Two as standing by their FRANXX Strelizia. He took a deep breath and removed all signs that he was in pain from his face. "You ready Zero Two?" He called cheerfully.

She turned towards him with her hands on her hips. "Yep. Let's kill some Klaxosaurs."

He gazed at her. She was gorgeous! The suit hugged her figure and exposed her beautiful body. If somebody asked him for the definition of perfection he would have pointed to her. Damn, she's beautiful! He would be lying if he said that he wasn't turned on by her. When he was staring at perfection he couldn't help but be stimulated. There was a tightening in his crotch as he became more and more excited. What is this feeling? No other girl had ever managed to arouse such feeling in him.

She jumped down and ran over to him. This was not helping his current predicament. If this kept going he could find himself in a very embarrassing situation."Look, Darling, our suits are complete opposites of each other." She said cheerfully.

Her suit was had the exact opposite coloration from his. It was the same beautiful shade of crimson red that her horns were, and the navy blue accents were the same color as his suit. She also had golden strips running along her body which were In the exact same places as his.

"Opposite, but equal." He said affectionately. They smiled at each other, each glad of the other's presence. He could still feel the throbbing from his chest but it seemed to have calmed down.

"Alright everybody, let's get going!" Ichigo called.

He gave a jerk. He had been so lost in the moment that he hadn't realized that everyone else had already filed in.

"Come on Zero Two, let's get going." He whispered.

They boarded Strelizia and took their seats. "Let's see if these suits do what they're supposed to." He said with a small chuckle.

"I'm sure they will." She replied. "If not we didn't need them anyway."

The controls deployed from her legs and the display came alive waiting for him. He reached out and he felt her comforting presence rush into him. They golden strips on the suits lit up and he felt a very strong sensations crash into him. He could almost feel Strelizia around him. Experimentally he flexed her fingers. Instead of him getting the feeling that it was just happening he felt almost as if he was actually going it.

"Wow!" He gasped. "This is incredible. Zero Two are you feeling this?"

Strelizia spoke back to him. "Yeah! When you touch the controls I feel as though I'm with you going it."

"Do you think it works." He said joking.

"Yeah, I'd say it does," Strelizia replied giggling.

He reached over and turned on the comms to initiate mode. Initiate mode allowed him to hear what the rest of the squad was saying but unless he pressed a button on the controls they couldn't hear what he was saying. He liked having the ability to talking with Zero Two without the rest of the squad hearing their conversation.

Luckily he had turned the comms on just in time because Ichigo began calling a moment later.

"Everyone report in."

"Strelizia is ready." He called.

"Argentea will show the rest of you how it's done!" Zorome called.

There was silence as Genista and Chlorophytum failed to report in.

"Are you two alright? Whats going on?" Ichigo called.

"Sorry, we got a late start," Chlorophytum called. We're ready to go when you are."

There were another few long moments before Genista called in a somewhat strained voice. " Were ready. Sorry for being late."

Hiro refocused his attention back on Strelizia. "I'm glad we don't have problems like that." He said to her. Zero Two responded by sending a wave of warm energy to him.

Suddenly the pain on his chest become agonizing. He quickly closed his mind to Zero Two so she wouldn't feel anything.

Zero Two had noticed something was wrong, however. "Darling, are you okay? I felt like I lost you for a minute."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said hiding his pain. "Let's get out there show everybody what we can do."

"Alright squad, move out!" Ichigo called.

* * *

She and Goro lead the squad out of the hanger and towards the battle zone. The sky was quickly darkening as the sun finished its path through the sky. The plantations' lights shown creating a ring of illumination around their perimeter. Squad 13 sped towards their defense line; just outside the ring light. Squad 26 was moving farther head taking their position in the vanguard.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms. "I have updated info on the Klaxosaurs. Aside from the Conrad-class pack, we've also detected a large cube-shaped unit. We don't have any info regarding this Klaxosaur. So we have codenamed it Target Beta. For now, prioritize the Conrad-class pack in the front. You will be informed when to switch targets. We are giving Code 090 field command; all units follow his orders."

"Roger." Code 090 called. "All units assume your positions."

"Were breaking off for the pipe! Good luck Squad 13!" Hiro called.

"You too Hiro. Stay safe." Goro called back.

"Your first lesson is to sit back and watch!" Zorome called laughing.

"Will do. I'll watch your every move." Hiro laughed back.

"Cut the chatter Squad 13. Call in, when you're in position."

Squad 13 slowed to a halt at their assigned position. Delphinium started calling squad orders. "Chlorophytum and Genista, I want you two on the flanks providing cover fire when necessary."

"You got it Ichigo," Chlorophytum called.

"Nothing will get past us. Right, Kokoro!" Futoshi said jovially.

"Yeah, sure thing," Kokoro said kindly but sounding a little strained.

Satisfied, Delphinium called her next order. "Argentea stay with me. We'll clean up anything that tries to cross our line."

"Don't worry about it," Miku called.

"Code 090 were in position," Delphinium called.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms. "Very good. All teams you are clear to engage.

Ichigo watched as the first wave of Klaxosaurs approached Squad 26's position. The FRANXXs of Squad 26 started forward Magma pole-arms at the ready. The squad moved in perfect unison. Four of them shot their pole-arms and tangled a Klaxosaur. Meanwhile, the fifth made a diving stab from the air, bursting the Klaxosaur into a cloud of blue. They repeated this action on five other Klaxosaurs. The method was slow but effective and they had only left four for Squad 13 to deal with.

"So much for being an elite squad, when you have to have other people finish your job." Zorome sneered.

"Hey give them a break. If it was us we would have let a lot more through." Mitsuru said.

"Speak for yourself! I'll show you how it's done!" Zorome exclaimed.

Argentea dashed forward towards one of the Klaxosaurs eager for a kill. Chlorophytum shots flew only feet in front of her and smashed into the Klaxosaur.

"Hey, that one was mine!" Zorome yelled.

"Snooze you lose," Mitsuru said back.

"Cut the bickering you two and focus on the objective!" Delphinium shouted.

Delphinium dashed towards her target. Before they got to within striking distance, Ichigo had an idea. "Goro, I wanna test something. Try cutting a leg off the Klaxosaur. I want to see if it will leave once it's been wounded.

She could sense Goro's confusion and hoped that he would comply. "O-Okay, if you're sure."

Delphinium swung one of her spears at the Klaxosaur's leg. The Klaxosaur gave a howl of pain as its leg sheered off. She skidded to a halt and turned to watch the Klaxosaur hoping that her theory had been correct. It had. The Klaxosaur picked itself up from where it had fallen and began to limp as fast as it could away from the plantations.

"Wow! I didn't think it would do that!" Goro shouted in surprise.

The behavior of the Klaxosaur went completely against anything that they had been taught to believe. They had been told that Klaxosaurs were mindless killing machines that would throw themselves again and again at their target, just to cause as much damage as possible. But this incident, in conjunction with the one from the mine was painting a different picture for Ichigo. Argh, who was she supposed to believe? The knowledge that had supposedly been gathered over a century; or what she was observing herself. Maybe these were just one off occasions that were outside the norm. Or maybe they were being lied to? But why would Papa do that? He was the leader of humanity; why would he need to lie?

"Wave one has been dispersed. Wave two approaching." Hachi called.

* * *

Hiro and Zero Two had disconnected when the got to their position on top of the pipe. The growth on his chest was excruciating, and he was having to fight to keep in control. Zero Two was standing on the faceplate of the deactivated FRANXX; looking over the fighting squads far below. Luckily he had brought his communicator, so he was able to make it look like he was reading something. He wanted nothing more then to sit with her on that faceplate but if he did she would see. His arms were covered in his thick bulging veins as scorching hot blood coursed through them. He was fighting to stay in control but he didn't know how much longer he could fight the pain.

"Darling!" Zero Two said cheerfully. "I wanna join in the fight; its boring up here!"

He smiled and did his best to hide his pain. He was very fortunate that the cockpit lights were off. Because if they weren't then she would have defiantly seen the veins on his arms.

"Well if that's what you want to do, then let's go." He said coolly.

She gave a giggle of joy and bounded forward to her seat. The controls deployed from her legs and she waited eagerly for his connection. Clearly, she wanted to fly with him and sitting up here wasn't getting her that enjoyment. He grabbed the controls but unfortunately, he had to close his mind to her. He could feel her disappointment as their sync rates crawled to the bare minimum. I'm sorry Zero Two. If only I didn't have this growth; then we could fly as fast and as far as you want.

They sped down from the pipe screaming above the ground as they charged towards the Klaxosaurs. Strelizia threw her spear and it pierced through a line of ten Klaxosaurs; creating explosions of blue as it passed through them all. Hiro could feel the veins on his neck budging as scorching hot blood shot through them. He began grunting trying to contain the agony that was coursing through his body. Strelizia faltered and began to stagger as one of its pilots was struggling to maintain control.

"Darling whats wrong!" Zero Two called in alarm. Her voice sounded as though it was coming from a very long tunnel.

"Nothing!" He called back.

"Darling, I can tell your lying! Whats wrong!" She called again with a slight bit of panic entering her voice.

He took a deep breath and he latched onto her presence with the only part of him that wasn't in agony. "Really it's nothing! Let's finish the mission!"

Strelizia roared back to life.

Code 090 angry voice sounded over the comms. "Strelizia! What are you doing out of position!?"

Hiro gave an angry roll of the eye. Who did this cunt think he was ordering Zero Two around after what he had pulled yesterday. "Just helping my squad!" He called back just barely managing to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Well that not your job! Get back to the pipe!"

"My leader is Ichigo! I don't take orders from you!" He said as his blood surged painfully in his veins.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms before Code 090 could reply. "Target Beta has breached the final line of defense. Squad 26 intercept the target. Squad 13 proceed as back up if needed."

"Roger. Squad 26 with me!" Code 090 called. Squad 26 sped off towards the massive Klaxosaur. They began to circle their target, pole-arms at the ready. The tips of the pole-arms shot forward and began to tangle the massive cube.

"Energize cables!" Code 090 called. The cables surge with energy and the massive cube shrieked to a halt. "Good! Now Again!" Again a surge of energy enveloped the cube.

Suddenly a loud screech irrupted across the battlefield. It was so deafening that Hiro was forced to cover his ears to keep from losing his hearing. The comms came alive as everybody tried to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly the cube burst open, and Squad 26 was sent flying into the air. His horror mounted as a gigantic humanoid blob stepped out from were the cube had been. It roared and began to take gargantuan steps towards the plantations.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms. "That's a Gutenberg-class! Squad 13, deal with the target."

"How are we supposed to do that!" Argentea called.

"There's no way we can take down something that big!" Futoshi yelled in fear.

Hiro tightened his grip on the controls. Strelizia was defiantly going to be needed to take down this monstrosity. Strelizia surged forward! Suddenly the pain in his chest magnified to a degree far stronger than anything he had felt before. He was struggling to maintain consciousness and the vision had reduced to a very small tunnel. He could faintly hear Zero Two's voice in the back of his mind. He latched onto it and called "I'm fine! Let's take this thing down!"

He could now feel every one of his veins, each of them surging with scolding hot blood. The agony was so intense that he felt like he was about to burst into flames. He tried his best to keep Zero Two obvious to his pain, but obviously, some of it was leaking through.

He could hear her frantic yelling. "Darling! Talk to me! Whats going on!?"

Ichigo's voice sounded over the comms. "Keep calm everybody! Strelizia take to the sky and wait for an opening! The rest of you lets try and trip it up!"

Zero Two began to respond with a frantic cry; when Hiro cut her off. "Got it! You create that opening and we'll take advantage of it!"

He pulled on the controls and Strelizia began to climb into the air. It was slower than their usual ascent. Zero Two was clearly overwhelmed and in panic mode. Right now he was taking advantage of her indecision and was almost forcefully piloting Strelizia. He hated doing this to her. But if the Klaxosaur destroyed Plantation 13, then they would have no place to go, and then she and everyone else would die! He would not let that happen to her! Even if it meant his own life; he would keep Zero Two alive!

The Klaxosaur fell backward and crashed to the ground as Squad 13 worked their magic. The Klaxosaur was forced to exposed its vulnerable chest as it struggled on its back.

"Hiro now!" Goro called.

Hiro flipped Strelizia around and then dived towards the Klaxosaur. Strelizia's golden spear flashed brilliantly as it surged with magma energy. The air was rushing faster and faster as they screamed towards their target. Strelizia struck the Klaxosaur with earth-shattering force and the tip began to pierce the Klaxosaur's hide.

Strelizia was only flying with one wing however since its pair was mentally overwhelmed. Unfortunately, this meant that the blow had lacked the power it needed to achieve its goal. The Klaxosaur body buckled but held.

Hiro collapsed forward had hit the floor of Strelizia's cockpit. He began writhing in agony as his body made a vain attempt to fight off the fire that was his blood. The cockpit surged red.

[Stamped mode activated]

[Stamped mode activated]

[Stamped mode activated]

Strelizia was smashed and sent flying as something hit her with colossal force. Their flight suddenly stopped as Strelizia hit something and embedded itself it the surface. Hiro struggled to open his eyes. Through the cockpit screens he could see the sides of both plantations, and judging by their upright position, they had probably been flung into the magma transport pipe.

Something massive smashed into Strelizia. Again and Again and Again and Again.

Hiro desperately reached for Zero Two. He needed her! She needed him! I want to fly with you! His hand fell, as he was finally forced to succumb to pain. His eyes closed and he fell into the pit of oblivion.

* * *

It's cold. Were's Zero Two? Is this death? Why am I here? Well if this is death then Zero Two needs to stay away for as long as possible. She can't fly on her own though. I sure there's somebody who will take care of her. That burry boy image from the mine; maybe he'll take care of her? Can I contact him and tell him that Zero Two needs him. He reached out! Nothing. It all circled back to him. Was Zero Two really all alone? Can I go back? She'll need my wing if she's really all alone. But how? How do I go back? He shivered. It was extremely cold. Wait! Death's not cold. If I'm dead then how can I feel anything? He opened his eyes. He was lying face down in the snow.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was sitting in a forest blanketed in a thick layer of snow. He looked around until he spotted a massive tree. He followed its trunk with his eye until he came to its base. A red, pink, and black shape was sitting at the base. He stood up and began to trudge his way over to it. The figure appeared to be a little girl with a book clutched in her hands. He approached closer trying to observe without disturbing her.

Her head shot up. She stared at him for a long moment. She seemed disbelieving but overjoyed at the same time. The little figure dash over to him; her book still clutched tightly in her hand. She collided with his leg and wrapped her arms around it.

The little girl was wearing a black tattered robe with only her head, hands, and feet visible. Her skin was blood red, and she had long cherry blossom pink hair. The thing that really got his attention though were the crimson red horns sticking up several inches above her head.

He gently separated her from his leg and bent down to greet her. "Hello, little one. Whats your name?" He asked kindly.

She didn't answer but instead looked at him with her big green tear-filled eyes. This girl seemed so familiar but he couldn't quite place why. Where had he seen this girl? He thought back over the past several days. There had been a handful of very odd moments; and the more and more he thought about it this girl seemed to be a the center of them all. His gaze shifted to her horns. Odd. The only person I know with horns is Zero Two. But Zero Two's horns are a lot smaller, and she has pink skin like everyone else. The girl blink at him. Her eyes were very pretty and also very familiar. They looked a lot like Zero Two's eyes; with the only exception being that Zero Two had red markings under hers.

The girl suddenly gripped her book with her hands and shoved it towards him. She made a noise that she wanted him to take it, and made the gesture again.

"You want me to see it?" He asked.

She shoved it towards him again.

He reached out his hands and gently took the book from her. "Thank you."

He flipped the book so he could read the title. "The Beast and the Prince." He read allowed.

"Do you want me to read it to you?" He asked looking up.

The girl was running away from him and began to disappear behind the tree.

"Hey! Wait! You left your book with me!" He stood up and began to run after her. It took a surprising amount of effort to trudge through the snow. How had the girl covered this distance so quickly? He hadn't been distracted for that long.

He finally got to the tree and began to run around its massive girth. When he made it to the other side he stopped to take a breath. He looked around trying to see if he could spot the little girl.

"Die! Die! Die!" Screaming filled the air. Somebody was screaming with pure hatred and rage.

He looked around again and spotted Zero Two standing in a clearing with her back to him.

"Zero Two!" He cried.

She didn't seem to hear him and stood with her back to him. Frantically he ran up to her. "Zero Two, are you alright!"

He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. Abruptly he left the snowy forest and seemed to be sucked back into Strelizia.

The agony was back. He was on fire. Painfully he opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him was horrifying. Zero Two was panting heavily, each explosion of air sounding as if it contained a mountain of rage and pain. Her eyes were glowing with red-hot fury. She clawed at the cockpit screens, her hands racking the air like some sort of animal.

She began screaming her voice sounding as though all the pain in the world was being funneled into her. That amount of sorrow, hatred, grief, and self-loathing was terrifying to behold. Tears were streaming down her face as she continued to claw in desperation. The cockpit shock and she reeled in pain blue blood flying from her mouth as she yelled.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME! DIE YOU MONSTER! DIE! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I'LL KILL EVERYONE OF YOU FOR TAKING MY DARLING AWAY FROM ME! GIVE HIM BACK! GIVE HIM BACK YOU MONSTER! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

He lay there watching her. No Zero Two, don't do this! Please, you'll die! I've got to do something! Zero Two is dying and I'm just laying here like a COWARD! Zero Two was everything to him. Before her he had been powerless; his inability to pilot or be of any use at all left him weak and afraid. His mind was nothing more than empty room for him to huddle in. But she had changed all that. She had broken the walls that kept him incased; and showed him that there was more to the world than just one room. Now she needed him! This is where he proved to everybody that Zero Two wasn't a monster. It was time for her to stop flying alone. From now on we fly together! I may only have one wing. But if it can help her fly then I'll give it to her as many times as she wants!

The veins all over his body retreated and he felt the growth sink into his chest. His vision cleared and everything seemed to come into sharper focus. His heart beat with new vigor and a wave of power surged through his veins.

Zero Two arched back and let out a bloodcurdling scream; her face contorting in a thousand layers of rage and pain.

He leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her to his chest and reached up to wipe her expression of pain off her face. Never again would he allow her to ever experience such agony.

Her body insanely slackened and she choked out. "Dar…ling?"

He hugged her to him as he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry Zero Two. I know I must have scared you. I promise I'll never leave you again." He nuzzled his head affectionally against her. "I'm your partner. You'll never have to fly alone ever again. You'll always have my wing. And no matter how far we have to fly, from now on we will always do it together."

[STRELIZIA ACTIVATED]

[STRELIZIA ACTIVATED]

[STRELIZIA ACTIVATED]

Strelizia transformed once again from its beast form into the iron maiden. The Klaxosaur smashed forward but was greeted by Strelizia's spear. The spear drove deep into the Klaxosaur and held. She twisted and the Klaxosaur's body contorted and spun in the air. Strelizia threw her victim and the Klaxosaur flew and crashed to the ground. It recovered quickly and transformed back into its gargantuan humanoid form.

It should have stayed as the contorted mess. Strelizia shot forward with a blindly flash of light! She punched a hole straight through Klaxosaur and took its core with her. Strelizia's victim exploded in a colossal cloud of blue blood; which fell like rain, coating the battlefield in droplets of sapphires.

The sun was slowly climbing over the hills and Strelizia flew off to greet it. The morning sun sparkled off Strelizia as its rejuvenating rays warmed her body. The plantations were quickly turning into dots on the horizon as she soared farther and farther away.

"Hiro! Hiro where are you?" Somebody called over the comms.

Nobody answered. Strelizia flew in bliss for a few more precious minutes before slowly making a loop back to the plantations.

* * *

Strelizia landed in front of a stunned Squad 13. Everybody was already disembarked and gathered staring at Strelizia. She cast her gaze around to take in where she had landed. Squad 26 was being recovered from around the battlefield. Some of them were on stretchers and their FRANXX had taken a serious beating, but aside from that, they were fine.

Strelizia deactivated as Hiro gently separated himself from Zero Two. Zero Two had taken quite a beating; blue blood was dripping from her mouth and she looked exhausted. Gently he brushed the hair out of her eyes and wiped the blood from her mouth. Her eyes found his and she looked as though she hoped that what she was seeing wasn't a dream.

"D-Dar…ling?" She choked.

"Hey." He chuckled.

"Your not a dream?" She asked hopefully.

"Not yet anyway." He jested. "Come on let's get you up. You look as though you could use some medical attention."

Suddenly she gripped him with surprising force and pure fear was written all over her face. "D-Don't leave me all alone in there!" Her voice was faint but he could hear how afraid she was.

"If you want me there, then a will stay by your side as long as you need." He said quickly, trying to sooth her sudden panic.

She tried to speak but her voice caught in her throat.

"Shh, you don't need to say a word. Besides what kind of partner would I be if I just abandoned you?" He gave her a smile.

She stared at him for another moment before finally letting go. Slowly, he reached an arm around her and hoisted her up. Gingerly placing her left arm around his shoulder they began to limp out of Strelizia's cockpit. Blinking rapidly to adjusted to the morning sun they emerged to the outside world.

Ichigo called up from the ground. "Hey! Are you guys alright!?"

"I'm fine, but Zero Two needs some medical attention." He called back.

Just then a lift arrived at Strelizia's faceplate. He walked them forward and held on to Zero Two as tightly as he could. The lift gave a jolt and they began to descend.

"Are you alright?" He whispered to Zero Two.

She nodded and leaned more of her weight on him.

When they disembarked Dr. Franxx was waiting for them. "Nice work you two."

Hiro ignored the praise and said. "Zero Two needs medical attention. I would like to get her to the medical bay as soon as possible."

The Doctor's gaze shifted to her and he looked her up and down. "Just take her back to Mistilteinn and she'll be fine. A little rest and she'll be up and about in no time."

"B-But." Hiro protested feebly.

The doctor gave him a kind smile. "Trust me she'll be fine. The best thing you can do is make her comfortable and let her sleep. Her body will take care of the rest."

The doctor turned and gestured towards the transports that gathered around the FRANXXs. "Have one of the transports take you back." He turned and began to walk away before stopping and added almost as an afterthought. "Oh and don't worry about the FRANXXs they'll be transported back to the plantation soon after the rest of you."

"T-Thank you, Sir."

"Just continue to fulfill your assignment and will be just fine." The doctor said continuing to walk away.

Hiro started off towards the transports still supporting Zero Two. Ichigo and Goro were talking to the rest of the squad; probably to keep them from rushing over. He appreciated what they were doing for him. Questions were the last thing he wanted to answer right now and Zero Two needed his full attention.

When they arrived at the transport he told the pilot where he wanted to go. Gently he guided Zero Two into a seat before stepped in himself. The transport gave a jolt and began to move off back to the plantation. Zero Two leaned her head against his shoulder and he gently snuck his hand into hers. The two bird comforted each other as they sped off. Back to the plantation. Back to the nest.

* * *

Nine Alpha sat with Nine Beta and Nine Gamma. His greasy yellow blond hair ruffled as the morning wind blew.

"Well, Well, Well. Its seems like Nine Iota has found a new plaything." He said sneering. He pulled out his communicator. "Papa I have an update on the current situation."

Papa voice sounded back. "Very good."

"Nine Iota has seemed to have found an intriguing new play toy."

"You mean Doctor Franxx's new pet project?" Papa asked. Although Nine Alpha could tell that Papa knew full well who he was talking about.

"The very same. Should we intervene, and bring Iota back to the Nines?" He asked casually.

"Leave her with him for now. I would like to see why the doctor suddenly decided to combine these two."

"Of course Papa! It will be as you command."

"Good. Now its time the Nines return to the front lines."

"Right away! Oh, benevolent one!"

The communication ended and Alpha looked back at his squad mate. "Enjoy your new toy Iota. Try not to kill this one too quickly."

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 5: We Fly Together of The Jian Bird.

If you have any questions or feedback let me know. I would like to extend a thank you to anyone who points out grammar or writing mistakes in these chapters. English has never been my strongest suit, and when scanning through an average of over 7,000 words, I tend to miss a few mistakes.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: Alone


	6. Chapter 6: Alone

That had been way to close. Dr. Franxx was sitting in his office. This kissing operation had almost undone everything. When Hiro's vitals had disappeared, he thought he was going to have a heart attack. What had happened to that boy? His physical state had been all over the place throughout the whole battle. One moment he's barely clinging to life, and the next he soaring like a bird.

He gasped. The blood; of course, why didn't he realize!? He had counted on it to get Hiro through his third ride. Wait a minute, don't tell me that's whats happening! Is Hiro becoming like her!? Think of the potential!

He was like a kid at Christmas. If he could also get them to remember each other. Their numbers were already crazy high. Imagine what would happen if they both fully embraced each other. If that happened, and they were both Klaxo-hybrids. What could stand in their way? If this plan could work without them being alike, then it would defiantly work now!

No! No! No! No! Now is not the time to become overconfident. Papa had managed to become the leader of humanity and manipulated him into helping. He couldn't become overconfident now. He still needed to play his cards right and get Squad 13 educated.

He muttered quietly to himself. "Let's just see how this theory plays out. For now, return to the previous plan."

He pulled open a drawer filled with Papa's forbidden teachings. While the squad slept he needed to start placing this information in Mistilteinn. He was so lucky that he had requested that the security feed for Mistilteinn be disabled. He had used the excuse that since this was his test squad, he would like to have full control over its occupants. Thankfully that fool had believed him. Papa believed that he was so indoctrinated that he couldn't possibly be plotting against him. Well, its time to exploit that oversight.

He looked through a window that had a view of the plantation's golden city. Everything was absolutely still. No noise of people or vehicles, just silence.

"Look at what humanity has become." He muttered with a sigh. The worst part of it all was that he had helped create it. This was all his fault. If he hadn't been such an ambitious fool then perhaps none of this would have happened. He looked back at the drawer in his desk. It was time to repent for his sin. He had helped destroy humanity. The least he could do is help bring about its revival.

He looked back at the city. It's time to show Squad 13 what they're really risking their lives to protect. He opened his communicator and called up Nana.

"What can I do for you, Sir?" She answered a moment later.

"Schedule a trip into the Plantation's city for Squad 13. Tell them its a reward for their performance during the kissing operation."

"Right away Sir." She responded immediately. There was a moment of silence before she asked a question. "I'm assuming we will not be reporting this to Papa?"

"Its best not to bother him with trivial matters like this." He said coolly.

"Of course." She said in an understanding tone. "Should we provide Squad 13 with a guide?"

"No, I don't believe that will be necessary. Just keep track of them I don't want them there for too long."

"Understood." She was about to end the call when she stopped, remembering something. "Sir, APE's security forces have been sent back to Papa, they will no longer be a hindrance."

"What about the Plantation's security force?" He asked.

"Hachi is keeping them preoccupied on patrols around the perimeter. I will inform him of Squad 13's trip so that the city will be clear."

"Good work Nana. Give Hachi my thanks as well." This was a pleasant surprise. With the security forces gone or preoccupied his plan would have more room to breathe.

"Thank you, Sir. We will get started on the details immediately." She hung up.

He looked over at his drawer. From here on out the stakes were going to be a lot higher. The safety net was gone, and if he failed now, it was all over. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "This is going to work." He muttered softly. Bending down he placed the contents of his drawer into a bag and pocketed serval hard drives. Grabbing his walking stick he made his way out of his office. "Let's see if we can't turn Mistleteinn into a breeding ground for new ideas."

* * *

"What have I done to you, Darling!?" She wailed in despair.

"You've given me the greatest gift I could ask for." He said warmly stroking her cheek.

"B-But I've corrupted you into a monster like me!"

"You're not a monster." He said smiling. "And think about it; now were unique. We're the only ones who are like this. Doesn't this further signify that we were meant to be together? My body is just finally making it so that we can be compatible." He brought his face even closer to her's and whispered. "Ever since the moment I saw you, I knew that you would change my life." He chuckled, "But, I could never have dreamed that it would be this good." He leaned forward.

Hiro blinked as he awoke in a bedroom. The room seemed to be illuminated; however, it seemed to be tinted a faint blue. He looked over at the window to find that it was still dark outside. Aargh. How long had he been sleeping? When he and Zero Two had returned to her room it had still been early morning. Had they been sleeping all day?

Faintly, he realized that he was sitting leaning against the side of a bed. Someone's arm twitched on his shoulder. He looked around to see Zero Two sleeping soundly on the bed; her arm stretched over to him as she slept. She was still in her parasite suit with the exception of the display and piloting system. Dimly a memory of him helping her remove them came back to him. They had been so exhausted that they hadn't bothered removing anything more than that. Slowly, he became conscious of the fact that he too was still wearing his parasite suit. Quickly, he looked around to see if he could find their clothing, before remembering that it would still be in their lockers. Sighing he got up. They were going to need clothes and unfortunately there were none here. Well, I can retrieve mine from my locker, but were could a find a pair of Zero Two's clothes outside of the girls changing room? Maybe there's a pair in the laundry facility here in Mistleteinn.

He was about to leave but stopped. Maybe he should leave a note to tell what Zero Two were he was going. Quickly he pulled out his communicator and typed out a message before setting it on the nightstand. "I'll be right back. Just went to find some clothes."

He opened the door and began to make his way towards the elevators. While he was walking he became conscious of the fact there were two very small aching lumps on his forehead. Reaching up he stroked them gently.

"Damn, I must have really hit my head yesterday." He muttered softly.

He was on his way down into the plantations when memories of events from the battle came to him. A little red girl with horns floated to the forefront of his mind. Who was she; and why did she keep appearing to him? Why was she so familiar? Was she even real; or just a fragment of his imagination. Was his mind just taking features that he found unique in Zero Two and extrapolating them on to someone else?

The book. What was the name of the book she had given him? He dug through his thoughts searching for the name. The Beast and the Princess? No. The Princess and the Beast? Hmm, no I don't think so. The Red Horned Beast? Defiantly not. Hmm. I got it! The Beast and the Prince! That was it! But what was the Beast and the Prince about? Was it even a real book? Maybe it fake as well.

"No." He said firmly. Both the girl and the book seemed too familiar and real to be mere fantasies. "I've got to find them."

"I may actually already have one. Maybe Zero Two really is the little red girl." Part of him thought.

"Again though, they have different color skin."

"But then why do both of them feel familiar and important?"

How about we just ask her if they're the same person?

"Oh, what a great question!" He thought sarcastically. "Hey, Zero Two, when you were a little girl did you have big horns and red skin?" No, we wait and observe. If they are indeed the same we'll find out in time. We can start by looking for the book. Hopefully, that's in the library because if not then I'm completely out of leads.

He blinked in surprise. Through his musings, he hadn't realized that his body had already taken him to his locker. Quickly he pulled it open to retrieve his clothes. Sitting in his locker was a stack of his and Zero Two's clothes. On top of them was a note that read. "You're Welcome."

"That's strange." He muttered, picking up the note. "I wonder who sent this?"

Maybe it was one of the girls. Ichigo might have had Goro places these in his locker. He doubted it, however. Nobody in the squad knew that they hadn't returned to the lockers before returning to Mistleteinn.

Shaking his head he bent down to put on his clothes. He wanted to be back in the room before Zero Two woke up; and standing here contemplating things he didn't have answers to was just wasting of time.

He was about to zip up his uniform when he spotted a massive scar on his chest. The scar was in exactly the same spot as where the growth had been.

"I wonder what happened to it." He muttered softly, before zipping up the rest of the uniform. Dwelling on its disappearance would have been unless; he was just glad it was gone.

Bending down he picked up Zero Two's clothing. He gave a slight blush at the site of her panties; as the memory of their first meeting came rushing back to him. Quickly he stuffed them and her bra in-between her folded uniform. The last thing he needed was another embarrassing situation that involved her undergarments.

Silently he began to make his way back to Mistleteinn. The elevator arrived in the lobby and he stepped out. He was about to make his way back upstairs when he spotted Ikuno reading in the living room.

"Good morning, Ikuno." He said walking over to her.

"Oh, Hello Hiro. Are you alright?" She said looking up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm fine, yes." She said, with a slight harshness in her voice.

He saw that she was reading some sort of large flimsy paper. "What are your reading?" He asked curiously.

"Something that I've never seen in Mistleteinn." She said quietly.

"Whats it about?"

She paused for a moment before answering. "I'll tell you if you answer a question for me."

"Alright. What can I help you with."

"T-Tell me again how Naomi died. " Her voice was calm but he could feel the pain behind it.

He gulped nervously. This was not a matter that he wanted to discuss again; however, he felt that he owed Naomi's best friend a more personal explanation. "She died protecting me." He said sadly. "She refused to let me enter the transport with her. W-When the Klaxosaur attacked the plantation it, it emerged right from under the transport and, and crushed it." He took another deep breath before continuing. "I owe everything to her. She failed because of me. My failure was the cause of all this, and even still she protected me. S-She deserved better than me. She tried so hard to make it work, and I still dragged her down. If only she hadn't been paired with a failure like me, then perhaps she would still be here." He gave a slight chuckle. "Hell, even you would have been more compatible with her."

Ikuno gave a slight blush before answering quickly. "B-But I'm a girl. FRANXX's don't work with two female pilots."

"Well, you still would have made a better pair with her than me." He said with a slight smile.

"Hiro…. I-I don't think Naomi would want you to blame yourself for something you couldn't control." She said sympathetically.

"Thanks, Ikuno. Even still, if I ever see her again, I will beg for her forgiveness."

He turned to leave before Ikuno called him back. "Hiro, wait! You wanted to know what I was reading. I think I may have found something you would be interested in."

Right now nothing interested him but he walked over her anyway. "What?" He replied mechanically; still thinking of what his failure had done to Naomi. Such a poor girl. Why did she have to be paired with somebody like me?

"Well, I don't know what it is, but there's a picture of what you and Zero Two were doing the other day."

That snapped him out of his slump. "What do you mean?" He asked confused.

She turned the paper so he could see it. There was a picture of a man and a woman embracing and kissing each other. She turned the paper back so she could read. "According to the paper, supposedly these two are in love."

"Love?" He said confused. "What does that mean?"

"I have no idea." She said equally confused. "I never even heard of this term before."

She pulled out her communicator and scrolled through to the database app. "Love." She typed.

He waited a few seconds before inquiring. "Well?"

"Nothing." She said confused. "There's nothing in the database about it. It says that this topic doesn't exist."

"What!? What do you mean it doesn't exist."

"I don't know, that just what it says; there's nothing here….." Her voice trail off. "Somethings loading!" She said sharply.

"What?" He said rushing over to her.

Her communicator read.

 **Love:** An intense feeling of deep affection. In romantic love, two people feel deeply attracted and bonded to one another.

His heart was starting to pound in his chest. Did this mean that he loved Zero Two? Ikuno tapped her finger on the word "Romantic.

 **Romance:** A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with the process of courting.

His heart was like a drum hammering inside his chest. What is courting!? He was almost trying to use his mind to will Ikuno to press on the word. She obliged him.

 **Courting:** The process of attracting a mate. In humans usually used as a term to refer to people bonding with the intention of marrying. A pair will spend time trying to gain each others approval and affection.

His heart was going to explode. What did words like MATE and MARRYING mean! She clicked on them but they all came up with the same answer "No data."

Still, his mind was completely blown. So the feeling he felt towards Zero Two was love? Part of him desperately wanted to get her approval and affection. Had he subconsciously been trying to court Zero Two? Maybe he should try harder. He didn't know what words like mate and marry meant, but they sounded like wonderful ideas.

"Do you know what any of this means?" Ikuno asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

"N-No." He said, covering his momentary reverie. "I've never heard of any of this before."

"Well, I think I'll keep reading this paper." She said making herself comfortable again. "You may want to return to her room." She gave a meaningful look at Zero Two's clothes still bundled in his arms.

Embarrassed he feebly tried to hide them behind his back, while mumbling incoherent excuses.

She gazed at him with her piercing olive green eyes. "Shhh... It'll be our little secret." She said quietly.

"T-Thanks, Ikuno." He said relieved.

Quickly he turned and began to make his way back to Zero Two's room. When he got there he quietly stepped inside and closed the door, hoping she was still asleep. The sky outside the window was slowly lightening as the sun began its journey into the sky. As sunlight began to seep into the room, his surroundings slowly began to lose their blueish glow. He blinked rapidly a few times and the glow was completely gone. The room was now only lit with the morning sun.

"Strange," He muttered. "I wonder what the source of the glow was?"

Zero Two began to stir restlessly as something in her sleep began to disturb her. She began to mumble incoherently and her breathing became more labored. Startled he walked over to the bed and sat down. He stared at her utterly bewildered. What do you do to calm a sleeping person? Still thoroughly confused he gently grabbed her hand.

She sat up abruptly her eyes flying around the room in panic. She was still breathing heavily and she looked like her mind was racing a thousand miles per hour.

"Zero Two, what wrong?" He asked concerned.

Her eyes flew over to him. "Darling!" She cried, her arms flying around him. She began to mumble incoherently as she pulled him closer and closer to her.

"Zero Two, what wrong!?" He asked, this time with far more concern.

She didn't answer, but through her mumbling, he could distinguish a few words. "Thoughtyou weredead. ."

Gently he hugged her back and did his best to console her sudden outburst. "Umm... Zero Two I'm perfectly fine, t-there's no need to worry."

Suddenly she let go of him and demanded. "What happened yesterday!"

"N-Nothing." He said hurriedly. "Really there's nothing to worry about." She gave him a piercing glare, her beautiful green eyes boring into him. He began to wither under her scrutiny. "T-There was a growth."

"A growth! What growth!?" She said in alarm.

"On my chest." He said feebly. "It's not there anymore….. Hey, Zero Two!"

All she had heard was chest. Her hands shot forward grabbing the zipper to his uniform and yanking it down. She pulled aside the flaps of the shirt and began scanning his chest. When she spotted it her hands darted forward investigating the scar on his chest.

"When did this happen?" she demanded.

"R-Right before w-we started the operation." The lie wasn't entirely false, but it wasn't the truth.

"You're sure?" She questioned disbelievingly. Her hands still feeling the area around the scar.

"Yeah," He said nervously. "Please not worry about it. Its gone now."

She stared at him for a few more long moments. "Fine. But next time tell me. Okay?"

"Okay."

She sat back on her haunches and stared at him suspiciously.

"Umm... So how are you feeling?" He asked trying to change the subject.

"Stiff and sore." She said turning away from him. "Other than that I'm fine." Looking down at her parasite suit she said. "I better get to the lockers rooms and change out of this."

"Actually, I have your clothes right here." He gestured to where he had set the clothes. Realizing how suspicious this might look he continued with his explanation. "I went to get mine earlier this morning, yours were stacked in my locker with a note."

She gave him a curious look. "From whom?"

"I don't know. All it said was, 'Your Welcome.' That was it, whoever sent it didn't leave a name."

She gazed at him for a moment. Before looking at the pile of clothes, to herself, and back at him. A playful smile began to dance at the corner of her mouth.

"Alright, then I guess I can just change here." She said cheerfully. Before he could do more than protest feebly, she bounded forward grabbing the pile of clothes as she went. She dropped them and began to strip off her suit at breakneck speed.

"Zero Two wait!" He protested frantically. She didn't listen but seemed to have her suit undergarments off faster then he could blink. She stood there with her back to him and let him gaze at her. She seemed to radiate golden beauty. Her curves were perfect and natural but not over exaggerated. She swept her cherry blossom pink hair around to her front. His eyes gazed hungrily drinking in every inch of her body. They traced the online of her figure and memorized every facet of her skin. He could feel his blood began to boil as a strange animalistic feeling began to surge inside him.

Slowly and with a tremendous effort, his conscious brain came online again. Hey Pervert! Maybe we should stop staring at her and abusing her dignity!

"Ahh…. I'm sorry I didn't mean to!" He quickly turned his head and shielded his eyes. He felt like he was about to burst into flames from the shame. How could he have used her body, for his own sick amusement!?

She began to snicker as she fought desperately to keep from laughing. He heard her bend down and begin to pull something up her legs. She bent down again to pick something else up. Whatever she was trying to put on, was taking a long time.

"Darling, would you help me? I'm afraid I'm a little too sore to put this on properly." It was obvious from her voice that she was playing with him.

What does she want me to do? Slowly he turned and remove his hands from his face. She was standing with her back to him. She was making a show of having difficulty clipping the back of her bra together.

Hiro was not convinced by her display of helplessness. His mouth however eagerly jumped at the opportunity before his mind could get in the way. "Umm… Yeah sure."

He stood up and gently took the clips. "Umm... Like this?" Gently he brought the clasps together so that they clipped into place.

"Yep!" She said happy bounding forward. "You're a natural!" She turned to him wearing nothing but her undergarments.

Her appearance and word choice were not helping his overactive mind right now. Thoughts were racing through his head a thousand miles an hour but his responses were like a snail. "Umm…. I…. Uh…" He continued to stammer.

The sun crested a hill and its light poured through the window, blinding him. Blinking rapidly he tried to shield his eyes.

"Darling's exposed!" She cried happy, leaping forwards and tackling him onto the bed. Latching onto his neck, she began to suck hungrily. The feeling of her angel soft lips against his neck was bliss. Her horns gently dug into the top of his neck, and somehow seemed to arouse a deep magnetic sensation within him. His whole neck felt like a web of tiny strings, pulsating with pure ecstasy. The points were her horns touched him seemed to be exploding with deep and complex sensations.

She shifted as she sucked harder against his neck. Her horns lost there contact with his neck and in an instant, the sensations were gone. He switched focus at the speed of light letting himself become enveloped by her sucking. Unfortunately, it did take very long for him to notice that something was off. She was sucking on him so intently that she seems almost desperate. Like she was trying to prove something to him; while simultaneously marking him as hers.

"Zero Two. What are you doing?" He asked, hoping it would break her desperation.

She sucked greedily for a few more seconds; before examining her work. "Whoops! It looks like I made a mark." She said happily.

She rolled off him and made a show of putting on the rest of her clothes in plain view of him. He would have found it stimulating if he hadn't been on the lookout for her odd behavior. She seemed desperate to form any sort of bond with him. She was just using her body as a tool to try and get the results she wanted. Why was she so desperate? It was true that they'd know each other for a week, and already he already felt deeply connected to her. If she was feeling the same thing, then why was she trying to force it along.

When he was around her, he felt more alive than ever. Some of his best memories of his whole life had been formed with her. The intimate sensations of connection he achieved with her were something that not even his best friends could replicate. He would gladly spend all day just being entwined in her presence. That word that he and Ikuno had discovered, described his feelings towards Zero Two perfectly. He loved her. Whatever that entailed he didn't know, but if there was one person he was willing to discover it with, it was her.

Maybe she was felt the same. But if so, why was she forcing herself to possess him. Was she trying to tell him something? A darker thought crossed his mind. Or maybe she does this with every one of her partners. No this felt unique to them. But maybe he should check just in case.

"Zero Two."

"Yes?" She turned to him as she zipped up the rest of her uniform.

"Did you do this with every one of your partners?"

"Nope just you." She answered, happily.

"Why?"

"Because you're my Darling." She stated obviously.

"But what does that mean?"

She gazed at him and he could see a flicker of sadness cross her face. Her lip gave a slight tremble as she struggled to come up with an answer. When she finally spoke, however, it was in the most jovial of tones. "That's a secret," She said with a coy smile. "Now wheres my headband."

"Right here." He said picking it up from the nightstand. He made the split-second decision not to probe for answers he wasn't going to get. If they were answers he needed to know, they would reveal themselves in time.

"Oh. Thanks." She said holding out her hand.

He gave a slight blush and asked embarrassed. "May I?"

She looked at him for a moments before lowering her head. "Sure."

Carefully he brought it up and slowly began to lower it so that her horns fit perfectly in their notches. He was crowning his princess, and he wanted to make sure that the headband perfectly encapsulated the beauty of her horns. "There hows that?" He said cautiously, hoping that she would approve.

"Perfect!" She confirmed without even bothering to inspect it. Leaning forward she zipped up his uniform which had been unzipped this whole time. Slowly she stroked the upside-down "Y" that made up the centerpiece of his uniform. "I wish I had a uniform like yours." She said continuing her caressing.

"I don't." He said casually. "I like the one your wearing better. It makes you look unique from everyone else." His face flushed as he finished his sentence. "I-It shows to everyone at a glance just how special you are."

Zero Two gave him a stunned look. Her lip began to tremble as she fought to contain the flood of emotion and gratitude that had just welled up inside her. "T-Thank you, Darling. N-Nobody has ever said I was special before."

He smiled and grabbed her hand. "Well, you are. A-And don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Standing, he gently began to guide her towards the door. "Come on, let's go see if breakfast is ready."

* * *

The balcony doors hissed open to reveal a city that sparkled with a golden glow. Golden builds towered like spires under the plantation's great dome. Faint clouds of steam hung in the air; sparkling as if they were made from golden droplets. At the center of it all, was the central spire that made up the trunk of Mistleteinn. Colossal pipes ran from its roots, carving their way through the golden city. Each pipe gleamed with magma energy as it flowed towards unknown facilities. The city's magnificence boggled the mind and was an awe to behold. Like a master magician, it dazzled its audience with its golden illusion.

"This is amazing!" Zorome exclaimed dashing forward to the railing that overlooked the city. "Papa is the best!"

The rest of the squad was not far behind him. Each exclaiming in awe how marvelous the city was. The city's scale boggled Ichigo's mind. She had never seen anything even remotely close to its grandeur. Looking left and right she drank in the city's golden majesty. Ichigo turned to observe her squad. Everyone was in complete awe of the city. Even Mitsuru, who was usually standoffish and cold, couldn't hide his amazement.

Zero Two and Hiro were the only ones who were not exclaiming in excitement. In fact, Zero Two looked downright disgusted whenever she glanced at the city. As a result, she spent most of her time sneaking covert stares at Hiro. Hiro was staring at the city, but instead of gaping in awe he seemed to be looking for something. Now that she thought about it, Hiro and Zero Two's reaction to the squad's treat had been very mediocre.

During breakfast, Nana had informed the squad that as a treat for the kissing operation, they would be allowed to explore the plantation's city. The entire squad had shouted in excitement and proceeded to spend the next few hours discussing their treat. Zorome had feverishly spent all morning exclaiming how great Papa was. He had gone on and on about what he was going to ask the adults. Even his partner Miku hadn't criticized him since she was just as excited. But while the squad had reviled in their opportunity; Zero Two and Hiro had just quietly sat, occasionally adding input when asked.

"Alright everyone, gather round," Nana called. She was gesturing towards a lift that would take them down into the city. "You all have one hour to explore the city. Please be back here before that hour is up."

"Really an hour. Can't we explore longer?" Zorome exclaimed.

Nana gave him a smile. "Unfortunately that is as long as we are allowed to give you. Any longer and we may start disturbing the adults." In a louder voice, she called. "Your hour starts now! Have fun!" She began to walk away before remembering something. "Oh, and maps have been added to your communicators, so use them if you need."

Zorome darted towards the lift and the rest of the squad followed. Ichigo found herself next to Hiro as they all squeezed their way onto the lift.

"Beautiful city." She commented.

"Yeah." He replied.

Looking over at him she spotted a little brownish mark on the side of his throat. "What happened to your neck?" She asked, gesturing to it.

Hiro gave a slight blush and surreptitiously glanced over at his partner. Ichigo knew now that whatever it was, Zero Two had given it to him.

"U-Um, I got it during the last battle." He answered hurriedly.

Ichigo very much doubted that but decided to let it go without comment. Really, those two did the strangest things when they were alone. Goro had informed her the afternoon after the operation that Hiro was not in his bunk. Which meant that he was with Zero Two. Again. Honestly, she didn't know if trying to get them to sleep separately was a great idea anymore. She had a distinct impression that whatever reminder she might give would be thoroughly ignored. She sighed. This was a battle not worth engaging in. All it would do would alienate both of them. Zero Two was still incredibly guarded and gave very terse replies whenever Hiro wasn't around. So a better use of her time would be trying to get Zero Two to open up to the rest of the squad.

The lift came to a halt and the squad disembarked. Quickly Ichigo set an alarm to remind her when their hour was up. She didn't want to ruin the squad's privilege because she got too distracted.

"Where should we go first!?" Zorome said a moment later dashing forward.

A small argument broke out as everyone voiced their opinion. Futoshi wanted to try eating adult food. Mitsuru thought they should go left. Kokoro had started to agree with him but was cut off by Miku saying they should go right.

"Everyone shut up!" Goro yelled. "Ichigo since your squad leader, where do you think we should go?"

"Well…." She pulled out her communicator and looked at the map of the city. "Supposedly there's a plaza ahead if we walk forward. So… maybe that's a good place to start?"

The squad quickly agreed and started off towards the plaza. The golden builds towered above them as they walk. Ichigo looked up at them to see if she could spot any adults. Unfortunately, the towers appeared to be windowless and all she could see were blank walls of gold. Something was off about this city. So couldn't put her finger on it, but the squad's voices seemed to echo for a very long time.

Bring her attention back to the squad she noticed that she was walking alongside Zero Two. Zero Two's attention seemed to be focused ahead of her and strangely Hiro was not present. Looking around she spotted Hiro and Goro having a conversation further ahead which explained why Zero Two was alone.

Looking back at Zero Two she decided that now might be an opportunity to break the ice. Taking a deep breath she struck up a conversation.

"You know, you really shone in that last battle. What you did to that Klaxosaur was impressive."

"Darling was the one who did all the work. He's the special one." Zero Two said tersely. Although Zero Two's tone was sharp she could hear the girls affection for her partner breaking through her mask.

Ichigo chuckled. "You know its funny. Both of you try to shift the praise onto the other."

"Well its true, Darling really is special." This time the affection was more obvious.

"And he would say the same thing about you. I mean, he's already proclaimed on serval occasions how amazing you are."

She could see a slight blush starting the creep its way onto Zero Two's face. It was really cute, and the sight of an emotion other than indifference was refreshing.

"You know; I don't think I have every seen Hiro as happy as he's been over the past week. I've known him for as long as I can remember, and this is the happiest I think I've ever seen him."

"Really?" She could tell that Zero Two was having a hard time keeping up her veil of disinterest.

"Yeah. He's always kept to himself, and at times he almost seemed depressed. It didn't help that he and Naomi couldn't connect very well."

"Who's Naomi?" Zero Two asked suspiciously.

"Oh, sorry I forgot you didn't know. She was Hiro's partner before you came along. She was very sweet and shy but for some reason, she and Hiro never were able to pilot."

"Where is she now?" Zero Two questioned. It was evident from her voice that she didn't like the sound of somebody being that close to Hiro.

Her attitude reminded her of the Klaxosaur from the caves. Anything that posed a threat to her and Hiro she eliminated with deadly force. Ichigo was treading in very dangerous waters right now. One wrong step and she could be the target of the next attack. Suddenly she was very glad that during the mock battle she hadn't been able to pilot with Hiro. She got the feeling that if she had, Zero Two would have cut her down without a moment's hesitation. At least Naomi would never have to face that danger. Although she would have faced Zero Two's wraith a hundred times if it would bring back Naomi.

"She's dead," Ichigo said sadly. "She died the day the Klaxosaur attacked the plantation. According to Hiro, her transport back to the garden was crushed."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Zero Two said sadly.

Ichigo could tell however that deep down Zero Two was more relieved than sad. What had happened to this girl that she displayed such behavior. She was so overprotective of Hiro that it was bordering on possessiveness. She had gone out of her way on several occasions to mark or display that Hiro was hers. But as far as Ichigo was concerned nobody really wanted to get in between them. Ice flooded her stomach. She had. In the beginning, she and Goro had tried to separate the two of them, in an attempt to keep Hiro alive. Whatever had happened to her, in conjunction with her personality must have convinced her that everyone wanted to tear him away from her. Ichigo realized that her actions had added fuel to that already raging fire. Now it was going to take a lot of patience and slow coaxing to get Zero Two to let go even a little.

Well now was the best time to start. "Don't be. I think you're really helping Hiro stay positive." She smiled. "Just keep being you and I'm sure everything will work out fine."

Zero Two gave her a stunned look. "T-Thanks…. Ichigo,"

Well, its a start. "No problem." She said with a smile.

The squad arrived in the plaza a few minutes later. A great water fountain stood dry and dead in the middle of the plaza. Lines of once magnificent trees stood like dead and shriveled sentries, guarding the area's once magnificent beauty. Everything was to quiet. Humanity was supposed to be crammed into these plantations. The noise of people going about their day and conversing with one another should have been deafening. Instead, all you could hear was the sound of far-off machines.

"Hello! Is anyone here!?" Zorome shouted. His voice echoed and echoed for what seemed like an eternity.

"I wonder where the adults are?" Kokoro asked to nobody in particular.

"I don't know but where ever they are its not here," Futoshi answered unnecessarily.

Ichigo shivered, this was downright unsettling. Why was the city that was supposed to contain millions of people so quiet that you could hear a pin drop? Humanity had been divided into one hundred equal plantations. Each plantation was supposed to contain an equal number of occupants which meant that millions of people should be living in this city. There was just simply no way that humanity could afford the space for Plantations 13 to be empty.

"Let's keep moving." She said to the squad. "Maybe this part of the city is abandoned."

The squad kept walking; curiously looking around to try and find any of the adults. They walked for what seemed like hours and still there wasn't a sign of anybody.

"What do you think of the city, Darling?" Zero Two asked Hiro sweetly.

"I-I don't know. This whole time I thought we were protecting humanity, but I haven't seen one person besides ourselves."

"What do you mean you thought!" Zorome said angrily. "Papa designated use as the protectors so that's what we do! Doubting Papa's decision is blasphemy!"

"Yeah, but what is it that we are protecting? I mean if I'm going to die I want to know what I'm dying for."

"What do you mean Hiro?" Goro asked.

"Well if I die I'll be leaving behind people I care about." Hiro made a momentary glance towards Zero Two. "So if I die I want it to be for a good cause, and not necessarily because that's what I was ordered to do."

Zorome had another angry remark but Zero Two cut him off. "Well Darling, If you want to know what your protecting look over there." She was pointing down the sidewalk in front of them.

The squad turned to follow her pointing finger. Walking towards them was a figure wearing a long white robe. Their entire head was covered in a tall square hood that came down to just above their mouth.

"It's an adult!" Zorome cried happily, "Hello!" He began to frantically wave his arms to get the figures attention.

The adult didn't stop but instead just kept walking towards the squad. Ichigo studied the figure as it approached. They were walking in a perfectly straight line, each step as uniform as the next. The figure didn't say a word as they approached the squad, instead opting to keep walking as if they weren't there. The squad scrabbled out of its way as it continued its path forward.

"Hello. Are you one of the adults?" Zorome asked again.

The figure didn't answer instead stopping abruptly. Maybe it'll talk to us now. Ichigo thought. It didn't. Instead, it turned like a machine and began to make its way towards one of the golden buildings. When it walked up to the wall it reached a finger forward and touched a button. A computerized female voice began to speak as a panel slid open to reveal a pod for the adult to stand in. "Good day, Miss Ekhart. Your daily dose of happiness is available if you are ready."

"I am." The woman said back to the building.

She stepped into her pod and the golden panel slid back into place. The building was once again nothing more than a solid sheet of gold.

"W-Was that an adult?" Kokoro mewed weakly.

"I-I think it was," Miku said, still in complete shock.

"Well, she was more friendly than most." Zero Two said cooly.

Then most! Ichigo had been fervently hoping that this particular adult was a weird outlier among the rest of humanity. Was she saying that was the best that humanity had to offer?

Squad 13 was looking at Zero Two in complete shock. They had been so disarmed by her statement that none of them knew what to say or do.

Zero Two reach into her pocket and check the time. "Oooh, it's almost time. Darling, I wanna show you something." She grabbed Hiro's hand and began to drag him along with her.

"Wait! Zero Two were are we going!?" Hiro asked in surprise.

"To watch the interesting adults."

Zorome gave a start of surprise before dashing off after them. "Wait! Hold up I want to see them too."

Squad 13 quickly followed Zorome's example and began to pursue the couple. Ichigo watched Zero Two skipped merrily as she continued to lead Hiro.

Leaning over Ichigo began to hold a quiet conversation with Goro. "What do you think we're going to see?"

"I don't know, but I hope its more encouraging then what we just saw." He replied.

"What if it's not?" She asked.

"I don't know. I've spent my whole life admiring the adults and Papa. But If this really is what the adults are, then I not sure I'll admire them as much anymore. I couldn't imagine living my life like that. If I didn't have you and the rest of Squad 13 when I don't know what I'd do with myself."

The Squad all began to gather around a railing overlooking another plaza below them. It was just as abandoned and dead as the last one.

"It looks like we made it just in time!" Zero Two said happily.

Suddenly the buildings came alive. Golden panels shot up all along their surfaces and adults began to mechanically walk out. A computerized female voice sounded over a loudspeaker. "Daily walking time for level 1 of Plaza 77 is now in session. All affected occupants please begin your cycle."

All the adults turned at exactly the same time and began to walk in step with one another out of the plaza. Many in the squad were expressing attitudes of horror was they continued to watch the adults mindless march. Ichigo was speechless. Was this the hight of humanity. Was this really what humanity had become. She looked over and spotted Hiro and Zero Two haveing a quite conversations. It ended with her nuzzling against him with a huge smile on her face. Both those actions were more human than anything she had seen from the adults so far. If Zero Two could show more emotion then the supposed adults, then what did that say about what humanity had become.

The alarm from her communicator started making a loud beeping. Jumping in surprise she quickly pulled it out and shut it off. They needed to get back to Mistleteinn's command tower fast.

Hurriedly she called to the rest of the squad. "Everyone our time is up! We need to get back to Mistleteinn."

The squad all conformed with one last look at the adults before starting off back the way they had come.

Nana was waiting for them when they arrived back at the balcony overlooking the city.

"Did you all enjoy your trip?" She asked innocently.

"Yes," Ichigo replied. "It was very informative."

The rest of the squad each gave mechanical mumbles of agreement before making their way towards the door.

If Nana noticed their behavior she didn't comment on it. "Good. Now its time you all returned to Mistleteinn."

* * *

Somewhere far away.

* * *

"Code 703. Code 016. You fail." "If only you hadn't been my partner." "Well, Hiro I don't think you'll be seeing me again." "Naomi!" "Hiro, I hope you find a good partner." "Goodbye, Hiro." SLAM.

PAIN. Agony.

Blue.

Klaxosaur.

"I will need to thank the doctor for you."

"You will carry on the legacy of us." "You will house the next generation.""Become the mother."

Naomi woke up with a jolt and a gasp. Her first observation was that whatever she had been lying on was hard and uncomfortable. Suddenly she sat up. Where am I? She raised her left arm to rubbed her eyes trying to get them to adjust. Her arm began to wrap itself around her head. What the hell! She straightened out her left arm and saw that where her arm had been was now a black tentacle with glowing blue horizontal stripes. She shook her arm violently to dislodge it, but the tentacle only shook with her. She shook harder trying desperately to get it to let go! What the hell is this thing! The tentacle whipped back and hit her in the face. She cried out in pain clutching her face. The tentacle was there rubbing soothingly; accompanied by her right hand.

This time she slowly stretched out her left arm. The tentacle gradually unfurled until it was sticking straight out. Cautiously she bent her arm but the tentacle was the only thing that moved. She opened her fingers and the tentacle split into five smaller tentacles.

"I guess I have a tentacle now." She said still bewildered.

A gust of cool air suddenly blew from somewhere and she felt the skin on her chest erupt in goosebumps. Looking down she saw that the parasite uniform she had been wearing was gone. The only thing she was wearing was a knee-high grey skirt with glowing blue accents. She would have been appalled at the fact that she was bare-chested, if not for the massive glowing blue "X" on her chest. Branching off from the "X" were thick glowing blue veins that ran all over her torso. What scared her, even more, was that all of the veins that would usually be invisible under her skin were glowing blue.

"That the hell happened to me!?" She breathed still terrified.

The surprises weren't over. Her lap was being illuminated by a faint golden glow coming from her abdomen. She was scared to even look but she did it anyway. Where her abdomen had once been there was a cutout covered by a transparent blue skin. Looking into her pelvis she saw a cluster of small glowing golden orbs. All of them appeared to be floating in some sort of fluid.

Startled she instinctively placed her hand on her abdomen. The skin beneath her fingers was warm and soft which she took comfort in. She sat there stroking the skin. She couldn't make up her mind as to how she felt about her missing abdomen. Part of her was scared and desperately wanted to be rid of it. But another part already felt attached to it in a strange way.

The orbs seemed to notice her hand, eagerly they all began to swim towards it. She was so startled that she froze. Had the orbs just moved!? No, she had to be imaging things. She didn't even know what the orbs were. Let alone if they were alive!

"Ow!" She was abruptly jerked from her thoughts when the orbs collided with the skin under her hand.

She sat frozen as she felt the orbs continue to nudge against her hand. They seemed to be desperately trying to get her attention and acknowledgment. She closed her eyes. This was some sort of dream. When she woke up, she would be back in Mistleteinn, with her friends, and her FRANXX partner Hiro. The nudging persisted, however. Slowly she opened her left eye. The world beyond her faint glow was dark, foreboding and full of shadows. She opened her right eye. The room she was in came alive and she could see as if it was illuminated by lights.

"What the hell happened to me? I can see in the dark with my right eye. I have a tentacle for a left arm. There's a massive glowing "X" on my chest. My veins look like a spider web. There's a massive cut out of my abdomen. And to top it all off, now there's a group of some sort of life form inside me trying to get my attention."

Sighing she got up. She looked around the room trying to get her bearings. She appeared to be in some sort of medical room, but the tech was nothing like anything she had ever seen. Spotting a display she walked over to it. The display showed what looked like a blueprint of a figure. Text was visible around certain key areas of the figure's body. She read the notes for what looked to be its abdomen. "Klaxo-womb devolved. Magma feeding ducts ready. Environment fit for development. Fertilized Klaxo-sapien embryos implanted. Confirmed impregnation. Phase one development progress 2%. Embryo life signs normal.

"Well, that was helpful." She said exasperatedly. I don't have a clue as to what any of that meant. What is a Klaxo-sapien? What is an embryo? And what did that word impregnation mean?

"I need to get out of here." She whispered to herself.

Looking around she spotted a door. She walked over to it and it slide open immediately. Apparently whoever had put her in here didn't have any problems with her leaving. She stared down a long hallway with many doors and passages leading off it. The only thing that illuminated the hall, were long glowing blue strips, that ran along the walls. If not for the strips and her right eye the whole hallway would have been pitch black.

Gulping she began to slowly inch her way forward. If she wasn't careful it would be very easy for her to become lost if she deviated from the hall. Where the hell am I? She had never seen anything like thing in her life. The only thing she was sure of was that this wasn't the plantation or the Garden. What had happened to her? Wasn't I on a transport? A memory of the transport crashing around her and excruciating pain flooded back into her mind.

"How am I not dead?" She whispered softly to herself.

She was now reasonably certain that she wasn't dead or sleeping. She just seemed to be too aware of her surroundings for either option to be viable. To add to her certainty, one of the orbs collided painfully against her abdomen. Argh, what in the world happened to me? She reached her hand down again and gently stroked her abdomen. Who did this to me? Was she just being used as some sort of test bed for new technologies? Maybe she was being used as an experimental weapon, and all these abnormalities were killing devices?

Somehow she didn't feel like what had happened to her was sinister though. She already felt a weird sort of bond with the things inside of her. Although why she did was still a mystery. She had no evidence to support that they weren't harmful or sinister in any way. All she knew was that they felt special, and in a strange sort of way, comforting.

Slowly she began to make her way off down the hall again. She had only been walking for a few minutes when the light from an open door leading somewhere came into view. Cautiously she inched her way forward trying to stay as quiet as possible.

When she got to the door she took a deep breath; before poking her head around to see what the room contained. It wasn't a room but instead a baloney, overlooking a weird sort of cavern. It only took her seconds to realize that someone was leaning on the balcony looking down into the cavern. The figure was the weirdest thing she had ever seen. What seemed to be pale blue hair cascaded down to its ankles. The hair draped around a massive black tentacle with glowing blue strips; which currently curled gently around the figure's feet. The figure also possessed two massive glowing blue horns that came out from the front and back of her head. Connected to the horns and ringing around its head was a black crown with serval spiked protrusions. The figure's arms were slender and their skin looked to be dark cyan in color.

"You're supposed to be in bed." Came a harsh female voice. The voice hadn't seemed to come from the figure's mouth but instead, seemed to be beamed directly into Naomi's mind.

Naomi took a deep breath and step forward into the doorway. "Where am I?" She asked cautiously.

"My kingdom." The figure answered simply.

Her kingdom? What was this thing?

"W-Who are you?" She asked, her nervousness mounting.

The figure stood and turned to her. The figure was shorter then Naomi and at first glance, it appeared to be genderless. Upon closer inspection, however, she could see that the shoulders and hips of the figure were the same width across. She suspected that the figure might be a female but since it seemed to not have any genitals, she couldn't be sure. The figure's skin was a dark cyan and had pinch black markings crisscrossing its chest. Its legs appear to be cover in another marking, with only small diamond shaped cyan gaps. The figure's face was small, narrow and had bright glowing blue eyes. The eyes were ringed with more black markings that fell down the figure's cheeks. All of this combined, to give the figure a beautiful but menacing look.

"I am, the Queen of the Klaxosaurs." It said, not opening its mouth.

No, that was impossible. The Klaxosaurs were mindless beasts intent on destroying humanity. For them to have a Queen would have completely went against everything Papa had told them. Papa was a supreme being; for him to be wrong was unthinkable. No, this figure must be lying to her.

"That can't be true." She said bravely. "Papa would have told us about you."

The supposed queen laughed a cold and cruel laugh without open its lips. "Forgive me, I forgot how easily manipulated you humans are. Not questioning a word you're told, just blindly following every word your brainwashers utter."

Naomi felt her mood swing rapidly and she flared up in anger. "I questioned you!"

"Oh, Not so easily cowed are we. You're quite feisty for a human." The queen laughed cruelly. "Although, I guess your no longer a human anymore."

"Wait! What!" Her anger died in an instant. "What do you mean I'm not a human!?"

The Queen didn't answer but instead dash forward, her massive tentacle splitting into eight smaller ones. The tentacles wrapped around her whole body, trapping her in their grip. She struggled uselessly trying to get out of their grasp. The Queen's face suddenly appeared before her and she looked into its menacing eyes. The queen bowed her head and she felt something cold and wet begin to trail its way up her neck. Disgusted she realized that the queen was tasting her with its tongue.

The queen drew back when it was satisfied. "What a refreshing taste. Something I have not had in a long time." It licked again, this time on her face. Whatever the queen was, it seemed almost desperate, like it was indulging itself on a very rare treat. "Yes…. You will make an excellent carrier. Your body takes to the eggs like a natural, let them grow strong."

Naomi could tell that the queen was in full on ramble mode. Something about whatever she tasted like was making the queen very excited. The queen continued its assault on Naomi's face. What in the heck is she doing? Maybe it really was the Queen of the Klaxosaurs, because this was downright creepy. She tried to squirm but the tentacles around her were so tight that she was completely immobilized.

Suddenly she felt all the orbs within her collide painfully against her belly. She let out a loud moan of pain. This was the last thing she needed right now. The queen noticed her moan and looked at her. The ache from the orbs was still present, which was making it difficult for her to hide her pained expression. The queen unraveled the tentacles around her abdomen before lifting her up to look into her. Naomi feeling of violation increased as the queen continued to stare into her body.

The queen began to whisper to itself. It must have forgotten that Naomi could hear every word it said, due to them still being linked. "Hmm…. They're hungry."

The queen lifted it's cold hand to her abdomen and gently began to stroke her skin. "Injections won't do anymore…. She'll have to feed them herself."

The queen lowered her to the ground and unravel its tentacles. Naomi began to stagger around as the blood rushed back into her legs. Too late she realized she was about to fall as she lost control of herself. One of the Queen's tentacles shot out and caught her before she could hit the floor. Standing her back up the queen turned and began to walk away.

"Come with me." The Queen commanded.

Naomi's head was so full of questions and angry retorts that the only one she could get out was. "Where are we going?"

"For energy." The queen replied.

"B-But I don't need energy." She said confused and bewildered.

"You will, But more importantly, they will."

Naomi started off after the queen. She got the feeling that this person was somebody you didn't want to cross. She had already done so once and was forced into violating consequences. Doing it again may result in more drastic action.

They walked for what seemed like an eternity. They had taken so many twists and turns that, there was no way she could find her back to the room, she had been in when she woke up. All she knew was that they seemed to be traveling deeper, and deeper into whatever structure this was.

Up ahead seemed to be a large room with a faint golden glow. Nervously she wondered if that was their final destination. When she got there the queen was standing by a large bowl with glowing golden liquid flowing into it. When she got close to the bowl she could feel the scolding hot heat radiating from it.

"Drink." The queen commanded.

"B-But that seems like its really hot." She protested.

"Drink." The queen said again in a harsher voice.

Slowly she pressed her lips to the surface of the liquid. It was hot, but nowhere near what she had thought it would be. In fact, she could feel a slight tingling sensation as the liquid splashed gently against her face. She took one last look at the liquid before she opened her lips and sipped.

Pain assaulted her as the liquid entered her mouth. It was so hot that she was convicted that she was drinking liquid fire. The liquid scolded her mouth and began to burn as it went down her throat. She cried out in pain and lifted her head.

"Drink." Anger had entered the queen's voice.

"I can't! It's way too hot!" She screamed.

"I will not ask you again. Drink."

She tried again; taking another tender sip of the fire. It felt like somebody was pouring magma down her throat. Nobody could drink this! I'll die if I drink any more of this!

She began sobbing as lifted her head again. She screamed at the queen. Begging her to not make her do this. "I-I CAN'T! IT'S TO HOT! PLEASE! I CAN'T!"

"Enough of this."

The queen's massive horns glowed and Naomi felt her body become dominated by the queen's control. All she could do was watch helplessly as she was forcibly bent towards the fire. Her mouth was forced open, and the queen forced her to gulp down massive amounts of the liquid. Her tears of agony turned to steam as they hit the fiery liquid below. She was going to die! The liquid cascade down her throat, burning everything as it went. The queen only removed her for moments, to let her breath before forcing her back to the liquid.

After what seemed like an eternity, the queen released her from the control. Naomi's throat was so raw that she didn't know if she would ever regain feeling in it again. She gipped the side of the bowl with her right hand, desperately trying to stay upright. The bowl's contents had only gone down a fraction of what it contained.

"Barely enough." The queen muttered harshly.

Barely enough. She thought. When was the next time she would be forced to do this? How many more times would it be until the queen was satisfied? She looked back at the bowl. Her throat was so raw that she couldn't feel a thing. The only way she could tell she was breathing was by the rising and falling of her chest. If I drink the rest of it, maybe I'll never have to touch it again. She thought half dazed. If I do it all n-now, then there w-won't be any left for her to use against me.

Bending down again she began to drink the liquid. She couldn't feel it anymore. Her whole mouth was just to numb to feel anything. She drank and drank; watching as the level of the liquid slowly decreased.

Sip. Only time I'll have to do this. Sip. Just one more and it'll be over. Sip. Never have to do this again. Sip. Just one final time. Sip.

With one more massive gulp, she drained the bowl. Breathing heavily she lifted her face. Golden drool slowly dripped from her mouth, as she clutched the side of the bowl for support.

"Impressive. You're more resilient than I first gave you credit for." The queen muttered approvingly. "Now come with me. I'll show you where you can stay."

The queen turned and began to walk towards a door off the room. Slowly Naomi turned and began to walk off after her. She hadn't been awake for very long but already she felt exhausted.

The queen opened the door and gestured inside. She numbly walked forward into the room. The room was massive. Two adjacent walls were transparent and had a magnificent view of the outside. The bed was huge and looked very comfortable. If Naomi hadn't been so numb maybe she could have appreciated the rest of the rooms magnificence.

"T-Thank you." She said numbly.

"Just stay here. I'll find you later." The queen said mechanically.

The queen turned and the door closed with a hiss behind her. Naomi walked over to the bed and curled up on top facing a blank wall. She closed her eyes and just laid there. Suddenly she felt very alone. She would have done anything to have even one of her friends back. They had always been together. She wished fervently that her best friend Ikuno was here. They had been lucky enough to have a dorm to themselves. During that time they had been incredibly close and comfortable with one another. On rare occasions, they had even experimented with sleeping in the same bunk. But right now she was all alone. Ikuno and everyone else were far away. She began to cry. What had she done to deserve this? Where had she gone wrong?

A warm feeling began to spread through her body and collected just above her abdomen. Curiously she opened her eyes and curled up to look into herself. The orbs were swimming their way up towards her chest. They disappeared behind her regular skin. Obliviously the space inside her was bigger than what as cover with the transparent skin. Suddenly she felt a tickling sensation as the orbs began to suckle her. She giggled in pleasure as her body supplied whatever it was that they were eating. She realized with some surprise that she was becoming more and more fond of these little orbs. Something was instinctually drawing her to them, and she couldn't bring herself to be afraid of them.

"Well, I guess you guys are here for me." She said sweetly stoking her belly gently.

She sat there for a few more minutes, just feeling them feed. Yawning she suddenly realized just how tired she really was. Rolling over, she grabbed one of the blankets and tucked herself under it. Closing her eyes, she lay quietly until the realm of dreams shallowed her into its grasp.

* * *

 **Authors note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 6 of The Jian Bird.

Poor Naomi. I'll give you one guess as to what happened to her. Lol

I did draw concept art for her so it is available if you would like to look at it. I can't seem to get links to work on Fanfiction. I'll keep fiddling with it, but if any of you know then please inform me. There will be a REVIEW for CHAPTER 6 that contains the link you can copy for the Reddit post. If you would like you can also find it in the DARLING in the FRANXX communities on Google+, and Facebook.

r/DarlingInTheFranxx/comments/984bra/klaxosaur_naomi_concept_art_spoilers_for_the_jian/

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: Exploration


	7. Chapter 7: Exploration

**Authors note:** A certain part of this chapter contains a scene that is sexual in nature. If you are uncomfortable with such descriptions then avoid the part that contains such action. Thanks for reading.

* * *

Dr. Franxx gazed at the hologram of APE's world map. The beacons of light signifying the locations of the plantations; jutted out from the surfaces making the whole world look like a bizarre sea urchin.

He watched as two beacons flickered out. The first victims of the Queen's massive campaign. A week ago massive groups of Klaxosaurs had emerged from around the world; each targeting certain plantations. For now, only standard swarm and overrun tactics were being used. But he hoped that the queen had bigger units to deploy. The Klaxosaur forces had struck out at six plantations but unfortunately, the Nines had been able to repel four out of the six attacks.

He cursed himself for allowing Papa to get his hands on Zero Two for so long. Papa had used her as a base to create the Nines. The only good thing about it was that Papa's DNA extraction hadn't gone has well as planned. The Nines had inherited only a fraction of Zero Two's raw potential. But even with that small piece, it had turned them into the most effective parasite team Papa had. He shivered at the thought of what would have happened if it had gone as planned. A whole squad worth of Zero Twos' would have assured Papa's victory.

He wished that he had taken Zero Two away sooner. It had taken the promise that he could magnify Zero Two's power a hundredfold to get Papa to release her. Well if everything went to plan he would. They would be the one weapon that could defeat Papa. All he had to do was maneuver them and Squad 13 into position.

He needed to help them create a world where they could live free. After all the atrocities he had committed he owed her that much. He looked over at a picture of his daughter. A memory of her conception flooded back to him.

 _Werner Frank stood in front of a vat full of cloning liquid. Inside was the female fetus of his ultimate creation. A fusion of himself and the most beautiful princess in the world. It's little blue heart beat with life, at the center of it's forming body. He stared hungrily at it. It didn't matter that his arm was gone. This was perfection!_

 _"Yes! Yes!" He groaned orgasmically. "You will be the ultimate creation."_

 _He looked over at another vat. A human fetus floated in its cloning fluid. This one was a boy. A combination of the remnants of his dead wife and so random DNA donor. A useless creation! The ultimate daughter was growing right next to him. What did he need with some useless human boy? He walked over and began the shutdown sequence._

 _A mechanical female voice sounded as he came to the final step "Are you sure you would like to terminate this fetus?"_

 _He was about to hit the terminate button when he stopped. A memory of his wife coming back to him."You know one day I would really like a child of my own."_

 _His finger hovered over the terminate button._

 _"Fine!" He shouted. "You want a child so bad; then here you go!"_

 _His finger hit the decline button._

He really was a sick monster! Why was science more important to me then my daughter!? If hell existed he deserved to be in the deepest part of it. Not only had he tortured her but he had let Papa use and manipulate her. The cry that still haunted his dreams came back to him.

 _He watched as they dragged in a little red girl. The guards threw her into a room. Her eyes began darting around the room in fear and desperation. Her horned head turning franticly as she searched. "Da…. Da….Da!" She cried._

 _A robed figure wearing a mask stepped forward. When he spoke his voice was deep and modulated. "Will you serve me?"_

 _The girl wasn't paying attention to him but continued her search around the room. "Da! Da! Da! Da! D-DA! DAR!" She cried and cried desperately searching for the boy._

 _"It appears your mind wipe didn't work so well on her." The robed figure said._

 _"I believe the only thing she can remember is feelings. I think all the details are obscured." He said, in his half robotic voice. "I know for a fact that the boy's memory is completely wiped."_

 _"Good. Make sure it stays that way."_

 _"I will Papa." He said bowing._

 _Papa pulled out a hologram device and threw it on the ground. A boy appeared. The boy had wild black hair and was wearing a winter coat. His face, however, was so blurred that it was unrecognizable._

 _The little girl flew at the boy. "Da!" She cried._

 _She pasted right through him. She turned, bewilder and made to hug him. Her arms pasted right through the boy. "Da!?" Tears were starting to form and her face was melting in desperation. "Da!?" Her voice was beginning to crack. Frantically she tried grabbing every part of the boy. "DA! DA! DA!" Tears were cascading down her face as she poured her whole being into trying to hold onto the boy. "DA! DA! DA! DA! DARL!"_

 _She collapsed on top of the hologram projector; trying to hold the image to her. "Da, Da, Da, Da, daDadaAdadadaDAdadaadaDadadadadadadadadadaada." Her desperate mewling was becoming unintelligible as she rocked back and forth, clutching the image._

 _"Do you want to see him again?" Papa asked._

 _The girl looked up tears of desperation sliding down her face. "Da!?"_

 _"Do you ever want to see him again?" Papa repeated again, pointing at the figure._

 _She back up and the hologram projected the boy into the air again. Papa pointed at the figure._

 _The girl nodded desperately. "DA! DA! DA!"_

 _"If you ever want to see him again, you will do exactly what I saw, for as long as I say it," Papa said casually._

 _The girl ran up to him desperately. "Da! Da! Da!"_

 _Papa caught on how to communicate with her. "Want Da?" He pointed at the boy._

 _The girl nodded vigorously, hope and desperation filling her eyes._

 _"Do whatever I say, for as long as I say it, and you can have Da." He pointed to the boy again._

 _The girl had only heard the word "Da." She nodded vigorously her hands practically ripping Papa's cloak with desperation._

 _"Good," Papa said with a stratified smirk. "As a token of my good faith."_

 _He pulled out from his robe her book titled "The Beast and the Prince."_

 _She grabbed it, hugging it to her chest before looking around. "Da!" She called._

 _"Guards!" Papa called. "Take this monster back to her cage."_

 _The guards burst in and snatched up the little girl. A look of deep betrayal and horror crossed her face. "DA! DA! DA! DA! DA!" She screamed and screamed and screamed. He watched as she fought tooth and nail to get out of the guards hold. But one little girl couldn't match the strength of four armored guards, and they dragged her from the room._

 _Hours later he had observed the little girl in her room. He watched as she banged her head against the wall, bit herself, licked her wounds, and even ate every page of her book. Each time she did this her face took on a look of remembrance. She was recalling details from her time with the boy. However, in the end, she looked miserable. She may have gotten the details, but she hadn't gotten the one thing she really wanted. His face._

How could I have done these things to my little girl!? Why had it taken him so long to feel any compassion at all!? WHY!?

He picked up the picture of his daughter and looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"I swear will do everything in my power to make you free." He mumbled to the picture. "After everything, I did to you. I-If you somehow find it in your heart to forgive me, t-than you are the most compassionate and loving person in the world."

Turning he looked over at a picture of his wife's son. The boy's wild black hair framing his face. "Make my daughter happy." He whispered to the picture. "Do that for me, a-and you have my blessing."

He placed his daughter's picture next to the boy and smiled. "Maybe one day that will be one big picture." He smiled a tear sliding down his face. "If you add a few children clustered around the both of you then you would make me the happiest person in the world."

The Queen's communication device buzzed in his pocket. Roused out of his revere, he frantically wiping away his tears and stood up. Quickly he composed himself and gather what necessary information he needed from the corners of his brain. Turning he threw the device on the ground, before taking a knee.

"My Queen." He said in the most dignified voice possible.

The Queen's harsh voice echoed into his mind "How is phase one progressing?"

"Smoothly." He said. "In fact, I may have discovered a new depth of potential."

"Go on." She said intrigued.

"I am not one hundred percent sure, but I believe that Hiro may be experiencing a transformation. If my theory is correct he may transform into a hybrid like her."

If the Queen was surprised, it didn't show on her face. "Interesting…. This will make him a far more valuable piece on the board." She glared at him; her glowing blue eyes felt like they were piercing his soul. "When can you get them to me?"

"I am afraid we are not quite there yet My Lady." He said reasonably. "I am working on educating Squad 13."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "I don't care about Squad 13! I want what you promised me!"

"Yes My Lady. But it will be hard to tear them away from the Squad 13. A more effective method would be to get the group as a whole to join you."

"And what makes you think that any human would want to fight for me?" She asked harshly.

"I am working on showing them that they are being used by Papa. When the time is right they will be ready for you." He answered calmly.

"What makes you think I won't use them?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "At least with you they have a fighting chance at being free."

She stared at him for a long moment. "Fine. Do as you please. I will except my daughter and Squad 13 to be fully willing to fight when they get here."

"Of course, My Queen." He said inclining his head. Looking up again he inquired about a curiosity he had. "My Lady. Was the parasite I sent you of any use?"

"Yes." She said tersely. "I thank you for that. It was a most useful gift." She paused for a long moment. "Your reward is my forgiveness for the part you played in the atrocity of mankind."

"Thank you." He said bowing. "One last thing My Lady."

She waved signaling him to continue.

"I would like your permission to have Squad 13 attack a nest."

"Why?" She asked coldly.

"I believe that seeing it may show Squad 13 a vital secret."

She stared at him for serval long moments. "Fine. If you really think its important. Then do what you like."

The hologram flickered off. He made to get back up when it abruptly flickered back on again.

"Oh. One more thing." She said. "I am sending an experimental shield to you. Use it if Mistilteinn becomes a target."

"Y-Yes, of course." He said hurriedly and confused.

The hologram flickered off again, and the device folded itself back into a communicator.

Getting up he sat back in his chair and sent a communication to Hachi. "Move Plantation 13 towards the P45 Nest. When we get there you may prep Squad 13 for an attack mission."

"Right away Sir!" Hachi called.

He was about to hang up when he thought of something. "Oh, and inform Papa that we plan to eliminate the nest to increase security in the region."

"Got it," Hachi said understanding.

The connection was terminated. Dr. Franxx looked at his pictures one more time before sliding back into planning mode. Straightening he looked back up at APE's world map. "One step at a time." He muttered. "One step at a time."

* * *

Hiro awoke on his back lying in a bed. The suns morning rays were just starting to poke through the window giving the room a warm glow. The arms of a goddess give him a slight squeeze as she slept. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he breathed in a deep breathe of fresh air. He realized suddenly that something in the air smelled incredibly sweet. It reminded him of the rich aroma of honey, except that this smell had a deep and arousing complexity to it. Closing his eyes he followed his noise. The smell was becoming stronger and stronger. This smells amazing! What on earth could smell this good?

He opened his eyes. He was face to face with Zero Two. It was her! She was the one emanating that lovely smell! Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! How many more things could make her more perfect then she already is? It seemed like every day he discovered a new facet of her. How much more complex could this gem of a person be?

Infinitely, he decided. This could go on forever as far as he was concerned. He would gladly spend his life discovering the perpetual depths at made up this girl. No. Not just a girl; but a goddess. Such perfection could not be described as a mere girl. No, she was much, much more.

He sat there for several minutes just breathing in her enticing aroma. Slowly his conscious mind seeded the idea that, sitting here smelling her as she slept, was a tiny bit creepy. Sighing, he retreated away from her until he could remove himself from the bed.

Before getting up he gazed at her horns. Those ruby red protrusions were so beautiful. He studied them for several minutes; just basking in their magnificence. He noted that her horns had grown, now were slightly curving up. The sight of the larger horns reminded him of another person with horns.

"Are you the little girl from my dreams?" He whispered to her sleeping form.

Zero Two didn't respond and instead gave a slight sigh as she slept.

The thought of the little girl reminded him of another mystery. The Beast and the Prince. Now would be a good chance to look in the library. When Zero Two was awake he wanted to spend all his time with her, which meant that his time to search would be limited. Quietly he rolled off the bed. Grabbing his communicator he typed out a message to inform her that he would be back. Placing it where he had been laying he turned and made his way out of her room.

The stepped into Mistilteinn's realm of knowledge; unaware of the clues to life it now contained. He gazed at the great wall of books. Hopefully, the book he was looking for was among that great wealth of knowledge. Picturing the book in his mind he walked over to the computers inlaid in the desks.

Quickly he began searching through the libraries index. "The Beast and the Prince." He typed. The computer spent for what felt like and eternity loading. "No Data." The screen read.

No. No. No! NO!. This was not already happening to him! It hadn't even been five minutes and already his search was at a dead end! Why! Why was this happening to him! Every time I go to ask a question, theres never and answer.

He jerked forward as he was sucked into the past again.

 _"Hiro! Hiro!" A little girl called, her lime green eyes sparkling with joy. "Give the rest of the group names!"_

 _"Sure thing Ichigo." He said smiling. "Let's see."_

 _He pointed to a boy with yellow hair and glasses. "Goro." He went down the line pausing for a second at each of them. Naomi, Miku, Zorome, Kokoro, Futoshi, and finally Mitsuru._

 _Mitsuru gave him a look of warmth and affection at his new name. He smiled and turned back to the group._

 _"Would you give Code 196 a name when she comes back?" The newly dubbed Naomi asked, her chestnut head bobbing as she tried to get his attention._

 _"Sure thing, Naomi!" He said giving her a radiant smile._

 _Suddenly two Garden caretakers burst into the room. "What are you guys doing!" Who said you were allowed to change your designation?" One asked harshly._

 _"W-We weren't. I was just giving them names." He explained to the caretakers._

 _Before the first caretaker could respond, the second leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Quickly they had a whispered conversation before leaving the room._

Hiro mind flitted to another memory.

 _The bed of one of the children that had slept with them was empty. A garden caretaker removed the sheets leaving the bed barren. This wasn't the first time this had happened either. Every so often they would come back to the sleeping ward and find that another child had gone missing._

 _"Another one," Goro muttered next to him._

 _"Its such a shame to keep losing our friends like this," Ichigo said sadly._

 _He had enough. Why did the adults never answer his questions? Why was he the only one asking them?_

 _Bursting forward and grabbed the caretakers sleeve. "Where is Tania?" He asked desperately._

 _"That is none of your concern. Papa will take good care of Code 979." The caretaker said brushing him off and leaving the room._

Abruptly Hiro snapped back into the library.

"What was that!?" He gasped.

Pulling at his hair in frustration he struggled to comprehend what he had just experienced. He had experienced this feeling before. The last few times this had happened he had witnessed the little red girl. But this time was different. He had just seen his squad at the garden. This had really happened. The only reason the squad had more than code numbers was because he had given them names.

His brain was crawling along like a snail. If this event was real, then did that mean that the other ones were real too. He gasped. The little girl. She could be real!

He closed his eyes, picturing the little girl in his mind. Ruby red horns towering above her head, beautiful green eyes, cherry blossom pink hair, a black robe, and finally blood red skin. He reached out as if to touch her. She was right there! Right there in front of him! She turned to look at him.

"Da?" She asked looking at him

"I'm here!" He called back.

"Da!" She ran towards him her arms outstretched.

He reached out to receive and hug her to him. She was about to collide into his chest when she disappeared. Desperately he hugged the air where she would have been.

"No. No. Please come back." He muttered desperately.

Defeated he released his arms. A book fell into his hands. "The Beast and the Prince."

"This is it! I have the book!" He cried. Grabbing the cover he turned to the first page.

He blinked awake back into the library. His arms were outstretched as if holding a book. They were empty. No book was waiting in his hands.

"No, please not when I'm this close!" He said desperately.

He clenched his fists as if trying to will the book to appear. Why? Why could he never get the answers he was looking for!? No! It has to be in here!

He got up and walked over to the wall of books. Desperately he started scanning every book on the shelf. His eyes flicked from cover to cover searching for the key words that would identify the object of his fixation.

"It has to be here!" He muttered desperately.

After what seemed like an eternity he got to the last book in the library. Nothing. The book wasn't here.

"No! Where is this damn book."

He started again. This time making sure to read every word in every title. He would find the tale of the beast and the prince, no matter what it cost him.

It didn't take long for him to become distracted. Now that he was paying attention, titles and words popped out at him. The first one to catch his eye was, "A Passion filled Night." He reached for it, before remembering his quest. He kept scanning. He needed to find the tale he was looking for.

The next book to tempt him with its knowledge was. "Your First Child Birth." He mind was sent reeling. What did those words mean!? He was sorely tempted by that book but forced himself to move on.

His heart stopped as he saw a "B" in the title of one of the books. He reached for it, but a second later he read. "A Beginners guide to Parenting." Not the book he was looking but it called to him all the same.

The next book that called to him he yanked off the shelf in less than a heartbeat. "Babies and how they're made."

"Babies," he said his heart pounding. "B-But I though humans couldn't have babies."

He flipped open the book and began reading the first page. His heart began swelling with odd emotions as he read. The first page was already boggling his mind. "The result of the sacred union between a man and a woman." What did all this mean? Why did Papa never teach us any of this? This was special. This was wonderful. If this was something humans could do why had they never learned this.

He flipped the page. The image of the human baby sat on the page; defying everything that he had ever been taught. It looked like a miniature human. It had pudgy little arms and legs with a big round head. Even in print, its eyes seemed to convey a sense of great wonder and curiosity.

"I-Is this a baby?" He mumbled shakily.

His heart was hammering in his chest. Emotions that he had never felt before were overwhelming him. His lip was trembling and tears were sliding down his face. Something about this picture was stirring deep emotions from inside him. Everything about it was precious. He wanted to hold and protect it. If humans could create this, then he wanted to know how.

"I should show this to Zero Two!" He gasped.

He was about to turn and make his way out of the library before remembering why he was here in the first place. Resolving himself he decided to finish his search for The Beast and the Prince.

Clutching his new book he continued his search. He scanned title after title but still didn't find what he was looking for.

This library was filled with books that he had never seen before. As he continued his search he ran across more books that he had never seen before. More and more titles seemed to leap off their covers and into his mind. One, in particular, he made a note to return to was, "The Guide to Pleasuring a Woman." What surprised him was how thick the binding was. If this book was any indication then a woman would be a lot harder to please then he initially thought.

He continued his scouring for The Beast and the Prince, but he still couldn't find it. Why was it not here; when vast amounts of books that he had never even thought of were? Why was the one thing that he was looking for missing?

"Argh! Why is it not here!?" He exclaimed to himself.

He didn't know why, but somehow he could sense that this book was extremely important. There had to be a copy of this book somewhere. Why couldn't he find it? Why was the one thing he was really looking for not here when so many other things were? Where could he get a copy of this damned book?

Suddenly an idea struck him. Present day! He could request, The Beast and the Prince as his gift! Pulling out his communicator he hurriedly filled out a necessary request form. Hopefully, that would be enough. If not then he was completely out of options as to what he could do about obtaining it.

Closing his eye in relief he leaned up against the library window. He looked down at the request he had just sent. Hopefully whoever was on the other side would grant him his wish.

Sighing, he clutched his new book to his chest and made to get up. Just then he heard voices from outside. Quickly he turned to try an identify the owners of the voices.

Mitsuru and Kokoro were sitting talking to each other by a tree. He watched them chat away happily for a few minutes. The sight of a smile on Mitsuru's face was a strange sight for Hiro. The only expression he had ever seen on that face was a scowl. Kokoro's expression was just as puzzling. The way she was looking at Mitsuru was filled with longing. He scratched his head in confusion. What a minute, isn't Kokoro supposed to be Futoshi's partner? Not that the rest of the squad couldn't have friendly relationships; but piloting a FRANXX was a very intimate experience.

When piloting a FRANXX you let your partner penetrate into your mind. It was an incredibly intimate experience, so you had to be completely comfortable and trusting of your partner. And although the connections usually didn't transcend into a physical one, you could still feel your partners presences in your mind. So although Kokoro and Mitsuru could be friends; letting that relationship progress into one of affection and intimacy could drastically affect their ability to pilot with their respective partners.

It suddenly donned on him just how out of the loop he was with the rest of the squad. Ever since Zero Two's arrival he had been completely engrossed with his new partner. Not that it really bothered him too much, but it seemed he might have missed a few developments in the rest of the squad.

He was about to get up and return to Zero Two when he heard his name being mentioned in their conversation. Stopping he listened in on their conversation.

"I don't think he ever meant to hurt you," Kokoro said consolingly.

"Well, he did. Stupid jerk always forgets his promises." Mitsuru said angrily. "Finally thought I'd be rid of him, but no, as soon as he in trouble, some monster drops out of the sky for him."

Hiro's fury flared up like gasoline on a fire. MONSTER! Who did this scumbag think he was, calling Zero Two a monster! His blood felt like it was on fire and something felt like it was trying to burst out of his forehead. If anybody came into the library they would have seen his eyes glowing with icy hatred.

Luckily for Mitsuru and Hiro's fury, Kokoro was there to soothe things over. "You didn't really mean what you said about Zero Two did you?"

There was a long pause before Mitsuru responded. "No, I didn't. Still, I would rather have Naomi back instead of her." There was another long pause before he spoke again. "Just another innocent thing Hiro's ruined."

There were a few minutes of silence before Kokoro spoke. "Mitsuru I think that holding onto something that Hiro did a long time ago isn't going to help you. I-I think something happened to him that day. From that moment on he changed. H-He was never the same again."

Mitsuru gave a grunt of annoyance. "Hmph. Maybe that's because he forgot our promise."

"Maybe. But I think that it was something else." Kokoro said.

Pain flashed into Hiro's mind and he was sucked into the past.

 _"Hiro! Hiro! I did it! I kept our promise! "A little boy said excitedly._

 _He turned to Mitsuru fighting to maintain consciousness. "Promise?" He said dazed. "What promise?"_

 _He saw Mitsuru's hands constrict around the ball he was holding while tears began to slide down his rapidly contorting face. "Y-You promised you would pilot with me if I survived t-the injections."_

 _"Really?" He said curiously. "I don't remember doing that?"_

 _Mitsuru burst into tears and threw his ball directly at Hiro. "YOU LIAR! YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID YOU WOULD!" The boy sobbed and his voice broke. "I-I HATE YOU!"_

Hiro snapped back into the library. What had he just witnessed? The child Mitsuru had said they made a promise, which supposedly he had broken. Argh, was this a memory or some sort of dream? If it was a memory then it would go a long way towards explaining Mitsuru's hatred towards him. But FRANXXs didn't work with two male pilots, which was something Mitsuru should have known. So did that mean that this was a dream? But the detail of Mitsuru's injections was true though, so did that mean this really was a memory. Hiro already had one confirmed instance of remembering actual events, so maybe this one was real too.

Getting up he began to make his way back out of the library. It sounded like he had forgotten a really important promise, which had obviously wounded Mitsuru deeply. Why was he forgetting such important events? He had only known about his naming of the squad because they told him, but up until a few minutes ago, he had no recollection of that event. So now it sounded like he had forgotten a promise to Mitsuru.

He turned to make the finial stretch towards Zero Two's room; his book still clutched in his hand from earlier.

So if both of these events were real, then that had to mean that the little girl was really too? Argh, he was forgetting important people and events! Why!? There was no way that he would forget such things due to time. Argh! Why am I struggling with this!?

He reached out his hand to open the door when it was yanked open for him.

* * *

Zero Two awoke alone in bed. The warm body she had nuzzled against while sleeping was gone. Darling was missing. Where was Darling? She sat up abruptly looking around. The room was empty with the exception of a few things and a mirror. All signs of Darling were vacant. Disgusting room. Without Darling, room was icky and nasty.

Just then she felt a communicator clutched in her hand. Looking down she saw the message that Darling had written.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, I promise. Sorry I couldn't be there to greet you first thing. There's just something I wanna check."

Her heart filled with passion and love as she gazed at the message. Her heart beat accelerated and she felt a deep stirring in her core. Darling thought of everything! Darling was the best! She smiled stupidly and hugged Darlings communicator to her chest. Only part of Darling she could hold for the moment must keep close.

She realized that while he was gone, she had an opportunity to make herself look as pretty as possible. Must impress Darling! Must make him like me! She tucked Darling's communicator into her bra. Must keep Darling's things safe.

She walked over to the mirror and looked at herself. She was so ugly! How could anyone like her stupid face! Her horns had grown a little bit. She gazed at her there reflection. Stupid things! She wished that she could just cut them off, but unfortunately she could not. She had tried that before, and the stupid things had just grown back. She opened her mouth and gazed at her long canines. Stupid, useless things! She was such a monster. A disgusting useless monster. Why could she not have been born a human like Darling? Why did she have to be some nasty blue blood creep that nobody wanted?

"Where's that stupid file?" She said, looking for the file she usually used to trim her horns. Must get rid of them for Darling! Must!

Just then she heard somebody climbing the stairs to the third floor. Darling was back! Quickly she tucked her hair behind her ears and poised herself at the door. She grabbed the door handle and twisted it so she could yank open the door.

Step. Step. Step. Darling was getting closer. Step. Step Step. Darling was almost at the door. Step. Step. Turn. Darling was reaching for the door handle.

Quickly she yanked open the door and pulled a surprised Darling into the room.

"Zero Two, what...!" He cried in surprise.

"Good morning, Darling!" She cried happily.

Grabbing his hand, she practically threw him over to the bed. She was so intent on her goal that, she didn't even realize that the book that he had been holding flew across the room and skidded under the bed.

Darling crashed onto the bed and she jumped on top of him. Her knees landing on either side of his pelvis so that she was straddling him. She crawled forward so that her face was right above his. His warm, enticing breath tickled her face as he breathed.

"Um... Good morning, Zero Two." He said sounding a little confused.

"Good morning Darling." She said happily. She leaned forward and nuzzled her jaw against his neck. Humming happily, she sat there letting the vibrations from her throat gently tickle him. She breathed in a deep breath of air and picked up a very addicting smell.

She sat there breathing him in. Darling was letting off an incredibly addicting pheromone. It was driving her insane, and all she wanted to do was let herself be engulfed by it. There was a deep throbbing in her pelvis and she felt her chest expanding. Her whole body seemed to be tingling and her nerves felt like they were hyper sensitive.

Her mind was flinging her across the universe in mere seconds. She drove again and again against him; greedily gathering his smell to her. Her enlarged breasts pressed against his chest; only separated by the stupid clothes they were wearing.

"Z-Zero Two... What are you d-doing?" Darling moaned.

She lifted her head and gazed into his powerful eyes. "Don't know." She panted. "J-Just came over me."

She leaned her head against his; her horns gently prodding under his hair and touching his forehead. Instantly she felt a sensation that she had never felt before. She could feel his heart's deep beating and feel the way his breath seemed to rise and fall out of his chest. She let herself penetrate deeper into this feeling. His body seemed to be just as sensitive as hers and she could almost feel a throbbing in his pelvis.

"Darling enjoy." She said. But instead of just speaking with her mouth, it felt like it was radiating out of her.

"Very much." Her ears heard a mumble, but she could feel a strong sense of pleasure emanating from him.

She sat there for a few more minutes trying to see if she could penetrate deeper into him. Unfortunately, however, that was as far as she could go. She lifted her head and the sensation was gone in an instant.

They sat there looking into each other's eyes. Their aroused breath pulsating against the others faces, as they both struggled to recover from their passionate moment.

"T-That w-was so cool." Darling panted.

"I-I know." She said just as breathlessly. "I don't think I've every experienced anything quite like that."

Breathlessly she sat up. Best to give Darling more room to breathe.

Suddenly she noticed that something was poking her between her legs. She rubbed herself against it to try and identify what it was. Inwardly she gasped. It was Darling! Darling's member was gently poking into her. The strangest feeling washed over her. The place between her legs throbbed and she felt a strange feeling begin to tingle in her pelvis. She could almost feel herself lengthening to accept him, and for some reason, the desire to have him inside of her was becoming overwhelming.

Her heart began to beat faster and faster. Maybe Darling was experiencing similar feelings to hers. If so, did that mean that he wanted her the same way she wanted him?

"Darling wants me!" She thought excitedly.

She felt like she was going to cry. The one person she cared for and would give anything for wanted her! She had spent her whole life looking for him. He was the only person to not treat her like so sort of caged animal. The only way she had been able to sleep was to remember the feeling of his protective arms. The feeling of him hugging her to his chest, and shielding her from the people who wanted to hurt her, was the only thing that had been able to relax her enough to sleep.

But now she had the real thing. Darling was sitting under her and now she wanted to be closer to him than ever. The only desire she had left in the world was to have him remember her. Just to remember those precious few hours that she had cherished her whole life. To tell him that she would hold his greatest gift to her until the day she died. Her name. When that happened she... she... She would make him the happiest person in the world.

"Z-Zero Two p-please get off me!" Came a horrified voice.

She snapped out of her reverie and looked up. Darling's face was a sparkling shade of deep crimson and his tone was one of petrified horror.

She realized that Darling's member was still pressing gently into her. Personally, she didn't mind, but part of her could see how he might be frightened that it would. The fact was, that another part of her desperately wanted to take this to the next level. It felt really good to have him gently prodding against that sensitive area. But what if the clothes that separated them weren't there? If it felt good now then without them would probably feel amazing!

Sadly she rolled off him to lie next to him. He hide his face in his hands, to try and cover the shame he felt. Fortunately for her, this left his back exposed. She reached up and began to stroke and massage the muscle on his shoulders and back. The muscles beneath her fingers were strong, powerful, but had a gentle feel to them. She continued her caressing and noticed something for the first time.

Darling felt like he had gotten bigger and stronger since when they had first met. She also noticed that he was actually now taller then she was. Before she had been several inches taller, but now he seemed to be a little taller. She felt that tingling in her core again. A bigger and stronger Darling. What wasn't there to like about that.

"Z-Zero Two, I'm really sorry," Darling said, still full of shame. "I-If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me."

Well, she wasn't about to pass up a perfectly good opportunity like that. "Okay fine. I'll only forgive you if you kiss me." She said into his ear.

"Yes, of course!" He replied, sounding a little too eager. He turned and pucker his lips to give her a quick kiss.

"A really long one." She said before he got to her.

He nodded.

They leaned forward and began to kiss. There lips pulsed and slide over each other as they continued there assault on each other's mouths. His lips were super soft but firm, which allowed her to pour her all her passion into him. Suddenly she had a desperate desire to taste the inside of his mouth. Sliding her tongue forward she rubbed it along his bottom lip. He got the hint and open his mouth. Both their tongues shot forward rubbing and caressing each other. She reached as far as she could, to taste the deepest visages of his mouth. She felt him do the same, and she thought she was going to explode. His tongue was stretching into the very corners of her mouth lapping at her saliva. She moaned into him as she felt something leak out between her legs. She could feel a dampness emanating from her lower lips as it throbbed with passion. She rubbed her legs together in ecstasy and felt the dampness spread throughout her whole crotch.

She continued her passionate assault on his mouth. Gently she used her canines to bit his lip. She was surprised however when he did the same. His teeth gently bit into her, their points passionately pressuring her skin.

Suddenly she realized that if he had those canines, then that meant riding with her gave them to him. She broke the connection and looked at him fear written all over her face. She had poisoned Darling. Him being near her was changing him into something that he wasn't meant to be. Darling was Darling. The perfect human. If she had corrupted that perfection then she needed to go.

"Darling..." She said her voice ladened with fear. "What's that in your mouth?"

He paused before answering. "Something I'm very fond of."

Something he was fond of! That was the last thing he was supposed to say. He interrupted her thoughts before she could respond.

"I know what you're going to say." He said calmly. "I, however, am very glad I have them." He paused. "You gave them to me; a-and that makes them special. I would gladly adopt every one of your features, I-if it meant I could be closer to you."

Unfortunately, she was in such a panic that she missed the entire meaning of what he was saying.

No this was not what Darling was supposed to be saying. She was a nasty, disgusting, ruthless monster. Darling was pure and perfect. If she was changing him, she needed to get away before she did any more damage.

Suddenly she felt herself being pulled into a comforting hug. "Zero Two you mean the world to me." He whispered in her ear. "We're partners. That means we look out for each other." He paused. "A-And, I don't know why but I feel as though you've been important to me for a very long time."

She felt him shift and suddenly she was looking directly into his eyes. "Please, at least allow me to stay with you until I figure out why that is."

Her heart was skipping beats. Was Darling remembering her! Had all her pleading finally begun to pay off?

Her mind was in such a rush that all she could choke out was a feeble. "O-Okay."

"Thank you." He said. Gently he separated himself from her.

She just sat there to lost and stunned to due more than gape at him. Her Darling scratched his head nervously before looking around for something to distract himself with.

Suddenly she heard a yelp. "Crap! If we don't hurry we're going to be late for breakfast!"

Forcefully she shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Zero Two I'll go get my clothes from the boy's dorm." He said standing up. "I'll meet you at the bottom of your stairs when I'm done okay."

"O-Okay." She said quietly.

He left the room and once again she was all alone. She sat on the bed gazing at the wall, trying to process the events of the last serval minutes. So much had happened in such a short time that she was emotionally drained.

The prospect of Darling transforming into something like her was scary but what would she do without Darling? She wouldn't go back to her previous life under Papa. She wouldn't! Papa had used her, tortured her, violated her mind, and justified it all with the lie that she could one day have her Darling back. She hated the Nines just as much as Papa. That disgusting Squad! A complete cesspool of Papa obsessed maniacs. She thought of their leader Nine Alpha. That disgusting slimeball! His nasty, greasy, icky yellow hair. Oh if she ever saw him again. That thing was going to pay for what he did to her. She remembered when she first joined the Nines. That thing had taken her and Strelizia and used them. She shivered. The amount of violation she had been forced to endure under him was degrading. And to top it all off when he was finally done with her he pasted her off to hundreds of other stamens.

She did her best not to think about those days. She had been taking all her anger at Papa and Nine Alpha out on those stamens. The worst part about it is that she had enjoyed destroying them. It had almost been therapy to feel their life forces sucked into her.

It was all Papa. She told herself. He was the one who had made her like this. If he had just given her Darling then maybe things would have been different.

But it didn't matter now. She had her Darling back, and she would destroy anybody who tried to tear them apart. She just couldn't leave him. He meant to much to her, and being separated again after all this time would leave her as nothing more than an empty husk.

Hopefully Darling would not change any more than he already had. Hopefully, teeth were where the line could be drawn. Darling was the perfect human and needed to remain as pure as possible. She would have done anything to be like him. Unfortunately, monsters couldn't be changed; which was something she had learned the hard way.

She buried her face in the place were Darling usually slept; and breathed in his calming scent. Darling was here now, and he was her's. She breathed in again, savoring the deep complexities of his scent.

Finally, she got up to change. It was then that she noticed the cool wetness between her legs. During her moment of passion with Darling, something had leaked out of her. She wondered what had caused her to do this? She had experienced feelings that she had never felt before, and then something had come out of her. Stripping she gazed at her sodden underpants. They were completely soaked with her juices, and her crotch tingled as her wetness continued to cool on her.

Suddenly an embarrassing thought crossed her mind. "I didn't pee myself did I!?"

That would be incredibly humiliating. Peeing on Darling would be a sure as hell way not to impress him.

Quickly she raised her underpants to her nose and sniffed. Luckily there was no smell of urine.

But if it wasn't piss, then what was it. They only two substance that had every come out of there were urine and blood. This was neither of them. So then what was it!?

She sniffed again. It almost smelled musty. Except that the smell was incredibly arousing and stimulating. It had a weird complexity to it that she couldn't describe. She wondered if Darling would find it as enticing as she did.

Shaking herself forceful she snapped out of her pondering. Darling was waiting for her and she was here sniffing strange substances.

Wiping herself with the rest of the underpants she cleaned up. Throwing them into a corner, she grabbed her uniform and put it on.

Walking over to a mirror she adjusted her hair. When she was finished she gazed at her horns. Too bad she didn't have time to trim them. Stupid things were so ugly.

"Darling must think I'm so ugly." She thought angrily.

Brooding she yanked open the door. The walk to the stairs felt like an eternity. Even the suns warm rejuvenating rays couldn't lighten her mood.

She turned to descend the staircase. Her shine light was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"You ready?" He called up.

"Yep!" She sat on the railing. "Darling catch me!"

She lifted her feet and began to slide down the railing. Darling was getting closer and closer as she flew down the railing. She was going to land in his arms. Even during the first few seconds of her slid, her mind was already running different scenarios and cuddling positions.

Darling's face was stunned but he had spread his arms to accept her. She flew into him her body crashing into his comforting hold. He staggered but managed to retain his balance.

He was holding her by her back and under her knees. Drawing her into his chest she nuzzled against him. Darling was so strong and warm. She wanted to stay here forever. Wrapping her arms around his neck she affectionately nibbled his ear.

Darling giggled softly. "Your very cuddly today." He said into her ear.

"Cuddly?" She asked, drawing herself closer to him. "What's that mean?"

"Don't know. I just made it up." He said making a thinking face.

She smiled. "Well, I like it. But if I'm cuddly that means that you're cuddly too."

"Why?" He teased. "You afraid to be cuddly all by yourself?"

"Yeah." She whispered. "It's much more fun if its two of us."

"Alright then, I guess we're both cuddly." He whispered affectionately. "But tell me. What do cuddly people do?"

"More of this." She whispered. That feeling from before was washing over her again. Her crotch was beginning to throb and her breasts were swelling. Her nipples felt like they were trying to pierce through her uniform.

"Your a greedy little girl aren't you."

"Only for you Darling." She whispered.

Suddenly Darling's communicator buzzed in her bra. She almost made an audible moan. Her hypersentive breasts felt like they had just been shocked.

Darling was looking at her with a confused look on his face. Ignoring it, she nuzzled close to him again. After a life of being abused, finally having somebody who would hold her close was liberating. He was so warm and strong that all she wanted to do was curl up in his protective arms.

"Zero Two. What was that buzzing?"

"Your communicator." She said, finally letting go of him a little.

"My... Wait really, I thought I had that on me." He said confused.

"You left it with me this morning."

"Oh, okay. I guess I forgot."

Slowly he put her down. She found it so sweet that even while he was returning her to her feet he made sure that she was as comfortable as possible. She really didn't deserve him. Why did such an ugly beast like her have such a noble prince?

When she was back to the ground she unzipped her uniform. Pulling at her bra she reached in and grabbed Darling's communicator. It was warm to the touch. Hopefully Darling wouldn't mind.

When she looked up she saw that Darling was staring at her chest. The expression on his face was full of hungry passion. Her heart beat accelerated again. Darling liked her! Darling liked her!

Suddenly she felt the urge to tease him. "Darling, you're a pervert!" She cried in a singsong voice.

Oh, that face was priceless. It was a shame that she didn't have a picture if that; because she would have put it on her wall. Although now she felt kind of bad. He was spewing frantic apologies and he looked like he was about to cry due to shame.

Zipping her uniform she smiled and laughed. "Come on Darling lets go get breakfast!"

She grabbed his hand and skipped down the hall towards the main stairs.

They arrived in the mess hall a few moments later. Everyone else had already arrived but it seemed like it had only been a few seconds difference.

"Good morning you two," Ichigo said to her a moment later.

"M-Morning..." She said mechanically.

This Ichigo girl was a puzzler. At first, she had tried to separate Darling from her. But recently her attempts had seemed to have stopped. The girl had even struck up a conversation with her during the trip to the city. She had even praised her and told her to be herself.

Everyone outside of Darling had thought that she was a monster, and the only redeeming quality about her was that she was a useful tool. This Ichigo girl had obviously felt the same in the beginning, but recently she had changed her toon.

Maybe she deserved a second chance. This person was Darling's friend after all. As long as she kept an appropriate distance from her and Darling, maybe she could be allowed to step a little closer.

She looked over Ichigo's shoulder. Her partner Goro was standing in his usual position behind her. Another of Darling's friends. She gazed around the room at Squad 13. The squad was different from everyone else. They seemed to be more than just Papa obsessed freaks. Breathing in a deep breath she made the most difficult decision in her life.

Ichigo and Goro would be allowed to approach Darling under very intense scrutiny. One step out of line and she would wipe both of them out. As for the rest of the squad. They still needed to keep their distance, but maybe she could tone down her open hostility towards them.

The sound of Ichigo's voice cut through her consciousness as she finished her decision.

"Everybody I want to try something today," Ichigo said to the group. "Let's try putting the tables together and eating as one big group."

Ichigo turned and looked at her and Darling's clasped hands. It was when that she noticed that Ichigo was wearing a lime green hair clip that matched her eyes. Interesting, I wonder why she changed it. She had been wearing a white one when they met, but apparently, she had changed it to this one.

Ichigo's suggestion was an interesting one. Not that it effected her; she was going to eat with Darling regardless of the rules. But what caught her as interesting was that a squad leader was suggesting an action that would be disapproved of by Papa. This Ichigo was certainly an interesting bag of tricks, to say the least.

Ichigo's suggestion was met with some resistance, but after a few minutes discussion, most of the squad agreed. She watched in somewhat disbelief as the squad pushed the tables together. This was probably the boldest stunt she had ever seen against Papa.

When they were done they all took seats. Ichigo sat with Goro and the rest of the squad seemed to gravitate towards their partners as well. Kokoro was the only exception and she sat with Mitsuru, leaving Ikuno to sit with Futoshi.

Still somewhat stunned Darling lead her over to a pair of free chairs. Sitting down she watched as the squad began to eat. They didn't even bother with Papa's morning grace.

They were about half way though breakfast when Ichigo brought up a question. "I got a message from Nana saying that today we could have the day off. I was curious what you guy's thought we should do with our free day?"

The squad chatted for a few minutes, each proposing a different idea. Personally, she didn't care just as long as it involved Darling.

"I have an idea," Darling said suddenly. "There are serval lakes dotted around Mistilteinn's forest. So maybe we could all go swimming in one of them."

She could have kissed him. That was a wonderful suggestion. She had been itching to get him into the water with her. Darling must be some sort of wizard; because he had read her mind like an open book. She glanced over and eyed Darling's soft, firm lips. The urge to kiss him was so strong that she was already licking her lips in anticipation.

Sighing she contented herself with just staring at him. She had already subjected him to enough teasing. An evil grinning spread across her face. Well, at least for now.

The squad all readily agreed. It seemed like they were all eager to see these lakes because apparently none of them had ever seen them.

Ikuno brought up a problem with Darling's suggestion. Apparently, none of the squad had swim wear.

Not that it matters to her. She was perfectly comfortable swimming nude. Darling had already seen everything there was to see. During that fateful first meeting, Darling had walked in on her while she was swimming naked. She hadn't minded then and she defiantly wouldn't mind it now.

The thought of seeing a nude Darling was making her heart race. She would be able to see all those powerful muscles sculpted around that beautiful body. Her heart was accelerating even faster. S-She would be able to see the genitals that Darling had been poking her with this morning.

Ichigo, however, had news that ruined all her fun. Apparently, while she had been day dreaming, Ichigo had contacted Nana about the lack of swimwear. It seemed that they were now going to be provided with the necessary equipment. She was tempted to swim nude anyway. She had no shame about showing off her body to Darling. Darling was Darling he wasn't going to hurt her.

Although now that she thought about it maybe she should wear one. Darling seemed to get very nervous and apologetic whenever he saw a more intimate area of her body. She sighed. Fine, at least his sake she would wear one. She hoped they had a good selection. She needed to find the perfect one that Darling would like.

"Alright, so that's the plan," Ichigo called. "We will spend today at the lake. Nana says that swim suits will be in the bathroom's in an hour."

* * *

An hour later Zero Two was in the bathroom, a pile of discarded swimsuits already piled on the floor.

She just couldn't find the right one. None of them fit the perfection that was needed for Darling. Either they didn't show off enough skin, were the wrong color, or she simply didn't like the way they looked.

Argh, why was this so difficult. Why couldn't she find the perfect suit? She picked up a white one-piece with red highlights. Putting it on she looked at it in the mirror. No definitely not. It hid all her skin. Next, she grabbed a blue bikini. Nah, this was no good either. The color wasn't right.

"I don't think he'll care what you're wearing, as long as it's you." Called a voice.

Turning hurriedly she spotted Ichigo standing a little farther down. She had been so engrossed in her pursuit of the perfect suit that she hadn't noticed the girl.

Ichigo was standing in her undergarments so Zero Two could see her figure. Ichigo was shorter than her and nowhere near as curvy. Her chest and hips were small but even so, she couldn't deny that the girl had her own unique beauty.

"I know." She said, trying to keep her tone neutral. "But I care about it."

Ichigo chuckled. "You really do care about him don't you."

She did of course. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him. He was her whole universe. Everything revolved around him.

But this Ichigo girl didn't need to know that. In fact, it was something she hadn't even told Darling. She reminded herself to remedy that fact sooner rather than later.

"Of course." She said trying to think of an excuse. "He is my partner after all."

"Right..." Ichigo said unconvinced.

She needed to be careful around this girl. She was the kind of person who didn't miss much so it would be difficult to sneak lies around her. Maybe that was why she had been appointed as squad leader. Her astute attention to detail, careful planning, and the ability to think on her feet were definitely qualities that would make a great leader.

She watched as Ichigo's eyes scanned her whole body, before shifting to the rack of untested swimsuits. The girl seemed to be looking for something, and her lime green eyes evaluated each suit in turn.

Spotting what she was looking for she walked over to the rack, and pulled out a crimson red bikini.

"Try this." She said, holding it out to her.

Reluctantly she took the suit. She still hadn't decided on how she felt about this girl.

Remember you decided to give this girl a chance. She thought.

Cautiously she put it on; and was surprised to find that she actually liked this one. It showed enough skin and cleavage to be stimulating, but at the same time wasn't too kinky. She liked the way it hugged her body in just the right way to emphasize her natural curvy appearance. The color was spot on too. This deep crimson really suited her well.

It was then that she spotted the problem. The deep crimson was the same color as her horns, which meant that they stuck out like a soar thumb.

She grimaced in frustration, and unconsciously grabbed her horns. Why did these stupid things ruin everything for her! She had finally found the perfect suit but these stupid things had destroyed that. Again!

"Don't worry about your horns." Ichigo's voice said. "There what makes you unique."

That caught her by surprise. Was this girl really saying what she thought she said? Had she just praised her horns? Darling had been the only one to do that. But now there was this girl telling her it was okay for her to be different.

Ichigo smiled. As if she knew exactly what she was thinking. "Plus Hiro likes them too."

She knew that he did, but she still didn't like to believe it. "No, he doesn't." She said bitterly.

Ichigo laughed. "Y-Yes he does. In fact, he's probably obsessed with them."

"A-And how would you know that?" She said disbelievingly.

"Because he spends every free moment he can staring at you," Ichigo said as if stating a fact. "I guarantee that he was no problems with your horns."

The girl paused before continuing. "Look, I've known him for a long as I can remember. I know what he's feeling, and what he wants. I've never seen him more passionate about anyone before in my life."

"Really?" She was trying to keep the happiness out of her voice, but the attempt was a sorry one.

"Really," Ichigo said. The girl paused for another moment. "Zero Two your part of our squad now. I won't speak to your life before you came here, but know that at least now you have people you can help you."

She was speechless. Nobody outside of Darling had ever said such things to her. Here was this girl who had hated and feared her, now telling her that she had a place to belong. Was this girl really not afraid of her? Were there really people outside of Darling who weren't afraid of her?

"I... Ah...I..." She mumbled. "T-Thank you."

Ichigo smiled. "Just take care of Hiro and we'll be fine." She paused again before asking embarrassed. "Would you help me pick out a suit?"

"S-Sure." And going off her own experience. "Is there somebody you're trying to impress?"

Ichigo blushed a deep shade of crimson. "Mmmmmyy ppppartnerrr." She mumbled incoherently.

"Alright! One partner impressing suit coming up." She said, trying her bubbly tone for the first time on somebody who wasn't Darling.

Ichigo looked like she was going to explode. She looked like she had been dipped in red paint and embarrassed steam was practically coming out of her ears.

Zero Two bounded over to the rack. Grabbing one that looked suitable she turned to Ichigo. "How about this one."

The bikini was white with navy blue highlight. The suit was simple but elegant and the navy blue highlights matched Ichigo hair perfectly.

"That great!" Ichigo said relieved. She put it on and turned to get her approval. "How do I look?"

"Goro will love it." She said. Adding the name was a nice touch, so she was glad she had remembered it.

Ichigo looked like she was about to start combusting on the spot.

Just then the door to the girl's bathroom opened and the rest of the pistils filed in. All of them stared at Zero Two, each with a different expression. Kokoro looked jealously at Zero Two's body, probably wishing that she looked that good. Miku just looked surprised to see a mostly naked Zero Two for the first time. Ikuno gazed at her for a few moments, before smiling and nodding to herself, as if she was confirming one of her theories.

Zero Two let them all gaze for a moment before turning towards the door. It was time to go see Darling.

* * *

Hiro stood outside carry some swimming supplies. Picking a suit had been relatively easy so he had elected to wait for Zero Two outside.

His heart was already hammering in his chest at the thought of seeing Zero Two in a swim suit. She was the most beautiful thing that had ever graced his eyes. The thought of seeing her practically naked as already making his blood boil.

He heard the doors open and there she was. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. How had Zero Two transformed herself into the purest expression of beauty?

She was gorgeous! He had to be the luckiest man in the world right now. Her body seemed to emulate elegant beauty. Her breasts looked so full, supple, and sat at the perfect size on her chest. His eyes followed her toned stomach down to her beautifully muscled thighs. His blood started flying through his veins at the speed of light. His eyes came to rest on the gap between her legs. Something about it was driving him crazy. He almost desperately wanted to get a closer look at what would be blooming from between her legs. During their first meeting, he had only caught a quick glimpse of that flower, but even that was enough to make him want more. It didn't help that this morning he had gotten a few tender prods and rubs with that most sacred of areas

The member between his legs was already standing like a soldier at attention. Pulsating with fiery blood.

This was extremely inconvenient. With his loss fitting suit, he was creating a mountain sized protrusion. Advertising to the whole world that he was excited and stimulated by the sight in front of him.

Luckily he had a bag full of towels that created a convenient shield. Placing it in front of him he waited with a nervous smile for his goddess to arrive.

"You ready Darling!" She said cheerfully bounding up to him.

"Y-Yeah." He laughed nervously. "But we should probably wait for the rest of the squad."

"Okay." She said happily. Wrapping her arm around his.

"Hey, which lake do you think we should go to?" He said casually.

She thought for a moment. "How bout that big one that wraps around that little hill with the crescent-shaped rock?"

"Alright, we'll go with that one." He said smiling. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't chosen their special lake. When they had come across the lake they had met at during their exploration of Mistilteinn; Zero Two had called it their special lake. He could defiantly understand why she didn't want to share that with the rest of the squad.

A few minutes later the rest of the squad arrived. Each wearing a swimsuit, and carrying bags of stuff for the lake.

He spotted Goro standing surreptitiously behind Ichigo, sneaking as many glances as he could at her body. Frankly, he wasn't surprised; he did the same exact thing with his partner.

The squad spent the next few minutes discussing the lakes and were the where located. Apparently, none of them had ever seen any of them before and wanted to know that they looked like.

"You'll see then you get there." He said answering a question proposed by Zorome.

Goro piped up with a suggestion. "Well, I think everyone is ready. Why don't the two of you show us the way?"

"Alright!" He said jovially. "Well if everyone's ready follow me."

They meandered through the forest for about an hour before they came across the area they were looking for. It had been relatively slow going for most of the trip because the squad had taken numerous breaks to admire Mistilteinn's forest. Apparently, none of them had ever adventured this far from the house, so all of this was completely new to them.

When they finally arrived at the lake the entire squad gasped. The water was crystal clear and its pristine beauty was more astonishing than anything they had ever seen. Little waves lapped up against the shore as a gently warm breeze blew across the clearing. The warm sun was high in the sky shining its brilliant rays down upon the squad.

Hiro was suddenly very glad that he had paid attention during APE's swimming course. It was about the only thing he was willing to thank Papa for. But right now that didn't matter. He was at the lake and was about to go swimming with a goddess.

"Come on Darling lets go!" Zero Two shouted running towards the water.

Hurriedly he threw the bag of towels on the beach and charged off after her. He crashed into the water and ran for a few feet, before diving in after her. The cool water sailed around his body, as he shot like a torpedo after Zero Two. He broke the surface and gasped in a breath of air, before swimming after his query.

Damn, she was fast! She glided through the water like a dolphin. He was trying his best to keep up but she was just to damn fast.

Finally, he decided to just watch her; so he stood up in the waist deep water. Suddenly she lept from the water and into the air. She twirled, flipping herself around before diving back into the water.

"What was impressive!" He said in astonishment.

Turning he looked over at the squad, who were just now starting to make their way towards the water. They had all seemed to have taken a little more time with their stuff then he did. Serval beach umbrellas were already in place, along with serval spread towels. Ikuno already appeared to be reading, while Miku and Kokoro were unpacking serval beach balls to play with. The boys had begun to charge towards the water, serval floats already in hand.

There was a loud splash as someone's foot broke the surface of the water behind him. He turned just in time to catch Zero Two as she leaped from the water at him. They embraced as the force of Zero Two's leap sent them crashing back into the water.

Separating they shot back up to the surface gasping for air. They gazed at each other as their labored breathing punched the air around them.

"Y-Your a r-really amazing swimmer!" He exclaimed, a few moments later.

"N-Not really." She said, waving away his praise.

"Yes, you are!" He insisted. "I wish I could do that leaping thing. You looked so majestic!"

"Alright, let's try it then!" She stated.

"Try what?"

"The leaping out of the water. I'm going to teach you how to do it."

He had some serious misgivings about this. Zero Two was an amazing person and was capable of astounding things. She was, however, more than a mere human. It was because she was so different that he loved her as much as he did. Even in the short time that they had known each other, he had fallen in love with her. She had become the center of his universe, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. He wished he could be more like her. She had been alone all her life and was the only klaxo-hyprid in existence. If only there was some way he could be more like her. Even if it was just him, at least then she wouldn't be the only one. Unfortunately, for now, there was nothing he could do about it. He could wish all he wanted, but that didn't mean he could look or preform in the same way she did.

"O-Okay." He said hesitantly. Even if he couldn't do it; he owned it to her to try.

She smiled. "Don't worry you'll be fine. I know you can do it."

She wadded over to him and began touching the muscles that she wanted him to use. He, however, was finding it very difficult to pay attention to what she was saying. Her swim suit was very revealing, which meant that she was showing almost all of her gorgeous body to him. It was difficult not to drink in her elegant curves and toned body. He gazed almost hungrily at her breasts. Those beautiful mounds were so perfect, and they seemed like they would fit perfectly in his hands.

Her crown, however, is what he found the most beautiful. Those ruby red protrusions were the most beautiful things in the world. The whole universe seemed to be contained in each facet of there crystalline depths. Even if everyone else hated them; he would always love them.

Gulping nervously as he fought to keep his mind on her instructions and not on her body and horns.

"Alright so heres what I want you to do." She said, lightly running her fingers over his muscles. "Just beyond this point, the water becomes significantly deeper. When you get there I want you to dive down serval feet below the surface." She began touching the muscles on his legs. "Then reorient yourself towards the surface. Once you've done that start kicking with all your might so that you accelerate as you get closer to the surface. If everything is done right you should shoot out of the water."

Hiro felt like his brain was going to explode. How was he supposed to remember all that?

"O-Okay." He said dazed.

"Not worry, I know you can do it!" She consoled, and with that, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He watched in horror as a wicked smile crossed her face. "Now go! She yelled happily, before shoving him forward.

Stumbling into a dive he swam through the water. When he was finally above the drop-off he stopped, and treaded water while looking down into its foreboding depths.

"Let's hope this works." He muttered.

Taking a deep breath the plunged down into the watery depths. The water around him was getting colder and colder as he dived. The contrast between the temperatures at the surface and down here was night and day.

When he felt like he had dived far enough, he oriented himself back towards the surface. The light from the sun streamed through the water illuminating the warm area above him.

With a spur of inspiration, he began to pump his legs with all his might. He was accelerating faster and faster as he soared towards the surface. With superhuman force, he launched himself from the water and flew into the air.

The world took on a new perspective, as he sailed through the air. Zero Two was smiling up at him and he could see the stunned looks of the rest of the squad. He had done it! He had done everything that Zero Two hand said and he had done it! Her smiling face was below him, and he couldn't have asked for a better reward.

His euphoria was short lived however as his accent slowed. He crawled to the zenith of his arch before slowly beginning his turn down. The water far below him now looked a lot harsher than a moment ago.

"This is not going to end well." He muttered.

He had managed to get up here; but now that he was, he realized that he didn't know he to get down.

Well, gravity did the job for him. He flayed helplessly as he plummeted towards the surface. Those warm inviting waters didn't look so cozy anymore. With a panicked yell, he hit the water with a colossal splash. The waves from his impact rippled across the surface of the water.

Luckily he had landed closer to the start of the drop-off. Painfully he took a few strokes forward so he was able to stand up. Groaning painfully he took stock of his surroundings. The squad's laughter rang across they water to his ears. Apparently, his fall had looked pretty hilarious because they sounded quite winded.

Suddenly somebody grabbed his arm and he heard a panicked voice. "Darling! Darling! Are you alright!?"

He shook himself and looked over to find Zero Two already by his side. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said painfully. "More winded than anything else."

Zero Two looked over at the squad. "Jerks." She muttered

Hiro neglected to comment. He could see why it would be funny to watch him sail triumphantly through the air, only to comically plummet back towards the water. Heck, he would probably laugh at it if he saw it. On the other hand, the impact of him hitting the water really hurt, so a less forgiving part of him agreed with her.

Taking his hand she began to lead him out of sight of the rest of the squad. Up ahead the lake wrapped around a small hill concealing a hidden cove.

I wonder why she's going there. He thought.

Zero Two today had been very clingy. If this was going to go in the way he thought, then this would be the third time before lunch that she huddled close to him. Not that he really minded. He had been alone and helpless his whole life. It was true that the squad had always been there and Naomi had been his partner, but none of them had understood what it felt like. While the rest of the squad learned how to pilot a FRANXX and grew closer to one another; he had always been isolated. Every time he tried piloting with somebody it failed. Naomi had been the only person that had sometimes worked. But even then, piloting with her had always felt foreign and invasive. Nobody had or could understand him. Part of him had always been missing, and without it he was alone.

Maybe that was why he got along with Zero Two so well. She had always been alone too; nobody had ever been there for her. For what he had gathered and inferred, she had probably been passed around and used like some sort of animal. But that all stopped because now they had each other. From the moment he met her, he had been bonded to her. She could understand how he felt, and she was somebody he could pilot with.

In truth, he wasn't complete without her. He had friends and comrades in Squad 13, but with Zero Two it was different. She was his partner. She was the girl he loved. And together they made a pair.

They arrived in the cove a few minutes later. The water here was warmer and the cove was shielded from the breeze. A large crescent shaped rock stood in the shallow water. The area was very pleasant but kind of small. Hiro hoped that nobody would come an investigate were they went because there was no place to hide if that became necessary.

They walked around the cove still holding hands. There really wasn't a reason for it, other than to just be together. They talked pleasantly as they made their way around, circling back towards the crescent shaped rock.

Zero Two was acting kind of odd. She was walking in a slightly exaggerated way, her hips swaying seductively back and forth. Also although out their walk she had been playing with her lips. Whenever he looked over she was either flexing them, licking them, or bitting gently with her teeth. Her horns also seemed like something was arousing them too. They seemed to be dimly glowing with crimson radiance.

When the finally meandered their way over to the rock they stood inside the crescent. The water here was warm but clean. The water was just still enough that the suns rays heated its temperature, but at the same time water circulated enough for it to remain clean.

Turning they stood and stared at each other. Something was defiantly off about her. Her pupils were all dilated, as her eyes were darting all over his body. The rise and fall of her chest was accompanied by the sound of labored breathing. On top of it all, she kept shifting back and forth so that her thighs rubbed together.

Suddenly a stimulating smell aroused his nose. It complexities made his blood boil and he wanted to fall into the euphoria of his arousal. Something about this strange pheromone was driving him nuts! His mouth began to water, and all his blood felt like it was rushing to between his legs. He shuddered in excitement, almost as if trying to feebly regain control of himself. A second later Zero Two did the same thing, but hers was accompanied by an almost inaudible moan.

Almost as if compelled by some divine force they walked towards each other, their eyes never breaking contact. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled so that their bodies were mashed together as one. Her arms inclosed themselves around his head feverishly trying to pull him closer to her.

Serval minutes of tender kissing ensued; each gauging the arousal of the other pair. The air around them was full of their stimuli, ensuring that each breath contributed to their passion filled obsession. Their aroused sweat mingled together, coating each other in the essence of the other.

Their lips broke apart, and they panted in gasps of aroused air. Her green eyes sparkled, and they seemed to be trying to beam all her passion into him. He could stare at them forever and just watch as they shifted and moved.

Zero Two had other ideas. Suddenly she launched forward, driving their mouths together once more. Her tongue shot into his mouth, desperately trying to intertwine with its pair. He responded with equal enthusiasm licking and prodding, desperately trying to harvest the essence of her mouth. Gathering as much as he could, he gulped her saliva and made it apart of him. He did this serval more times, drinking in the essence of her mouth.

They broke apart, desperately dragging in the air that they had neglected to breathe. When he had finally regained enough oxygen to function he switched targets. He leaned down and placed his tongue between her breasts. She moaned in excitement. Grinning he licked his way up her chest. The taste of her on his tongue was exhilarating, her sweet salty sweat was like candy. She moaned and tremble under against him, her whole body engrossed in his hungry desire.

Suddenly she jumped and her legs wrapped around his waist, and her arms clung to his shoulders. He grabbed her toned thighs, supporting her weight so that she was free of the burden of hanging on.

The place between her legs nuzzled itself against his own excitement, and he felt its light contractions even through their suits. An animalistic feeling washed over him and he drove her back against the wall of rock. They moaned into each other as their bodies mashed together.

He felt the gyrating of her hips as she ground her most sensitive of areas against his member. He grunted in animalistic pleasure as the feeling of her erect lower lips tried to suck him through their suits. The need to sheath himself within her was starting to turn into desperation. He grunted in pleasure as the feeling of her lips under the suit touched his tip.

Zero Two was trembling and spasming uncontrollably against him. Her arms and legs were squeezing him to her out of desperation, as she continued to grind herself against him.

A feeling was building in his balls, and something felt like it was going to explode out of him. Something within him wanted to be released from his body, and become a part of Zero Two.

Zero Two's moans turned into cries of pleasure and she lost all control of her shaking.

"Darling! Darling! Darling!" She gasped desperately.

All of a sudden her arms and legs contracted vice like around him. With a cry of exhilaration something warm and wet burst from her, soaking both their pelvises with its essence. She moaned and gasp against him as her body went completely limp.

He tried to hold her to him, to feel the spurts of her essence that were still escaping from her. But the attempt was futile. He was just too exhausted to hold all her weight on his own. Gently he let her down onto her own two feet. She leaned against him doing her best to stay upright. She appeared to be so lost in her afterglow that she was having trouble standing. He held her to him, just letting her absorb her pleasure until she could regain control of herself.

Finally, after serval long tender minutes, she looked up. "T-That was amazing." She panted, still looking dazed.

"I know." He said equally as breathless. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

He looked down towards were the source of their passion had originated. Her wetness had soaked both their suits, and little droplets of fluid were still dripping from between her legs, creating little ripples in the water. He smiled. For some reason, he took immense pleasure in the fact that he had caused Zero Two so much pleasure that something had come out of her. It was a hard feeling to describe. He liked the idea that, they were so comfortable with each other that their bodies were allowing them to experience things that they had never felt before.

He remembered his own feelings. The feeling of wanting to make himself apart of Zero Two. The feeling of something stirring within him that wanted to take root and grow within her. Something about this whole experience felt primal. Like this was something that they were meant to do. To come together as partners and create something.

"Darling, please stop staring at me, its embarrassing." She mumbled.

He looked up. "Why? I think its kind of cool."

Zero Two's face was one giant red blush. "I don't know. It's just that something came out of me and now you're covered in it." Suddenly she grabbed his hand and begged. "Please, Please forget about this! I'm really sorry Darling! I really am! I didn't mean to do this I promise!"

He laughed. Here she was worrying that he might find it weird, while he was sitting here wondering when they could do this again.

"Don't laugh at me." She said embarrassed. "You're really disgusted by what I just did, you just don't want to tell me."

He picked her up and twirled her in the air. Mere words couldn't express the excitement and passion that had just kindled within him.

Setting her down he looked into her eyes. "Maybe you should ask what I think, before coming to your own conclusion." He said.

"I don't need to, I already know." She said not meeting his gaze.

He pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "If that were the case, then you know that it was the coolest thing I have every felt."

"R-Really?" She choked into his ear.

He pulled away to look her in the eye. "Really."

Tears were starting to form at the corners of her eyes. He thought that maybe he should add on to the effect, but decided to tease her a little first.

"Actually I lied." He said joking.

Her face fell in an instant and horror was starting to creep its way onto her face.

"This is number two. Your horns win out on the scale of awesomeness. They're just too beautiful to be replaced by your stimulating juices."

It took her serval long seconds to process what he had just said. He watched with a smile; almost hearing her mind work overtime.

When she finally figured it out her lip started to tremble. "D-Darling." She choked.

Just then a cry and loud shouting rent the air. Somebody was yelling furiously while somebody else defended their innocence stoically.

They both started in surprise. Just then Hiro realized that the rest of the squad was still here, and might start getting suspicious of where they went. He looked over at Zero Two. Her mind was obviously thinking along the same lines.

In unison, they both started running towards the hill back to the bay that contained the rest of the squad. They dived into the water and began swimming hurriedly back around the bend. The juices of Zero Two's passion washed away as they propelled themselves back to the squad.

They arrived out of breath back on the beach a few minutes later. Miku was yelling furiously at Zorome while he defended himself with equal vigor. The rest of the squad just stood watching. Apparently, none of them wanted to have Miku's wraith turned a pawn them, so they stayed out of her way.

Goro gave Hiro a suspicious look as he approached. He for his part decided to ignore it. What he and Zero Two did when they were alone was their business, not anybody else's.

So instead he decided to pay attention to the argument. After a few minutes of intelligence gathering, it sounding as though during a game, Zorome had tripped and somehow torn off Miku's bikini bottoms. Apparently, he had gazed mesmerized at her and had only looked away after he had regained control of himself. Although Miku made it sound like he had done it on purpose and only stopped violating her when she had yelled at him.

"Look it was an accident okay! I didn't mean to grab your bikini, I tripped!" Zorome yelled for what sounded like probable the hundredth time.

"Liar! You wanted to see me naked! So you took your chance and showed me off for your own pleasure!"

"I did not!" Zorome raged. "IT! WAS! AN! ACCIDENT!"

"Yeah right!" Miku screamed. "Then why did you stare at me so long!?"

Something that was probably unintended for her ears burst from his mouth. "You're really cute! When I saw you I just couldn't keep myself from looking!"

Miku face blushed such a deep red that her hair looked white by contrast. "Whaaaaaaa!"

Hiro had enough and decided to walk away. Zero Two caught up with him and they walked hand in hand down the beach.

For now, it was just small expressions of intimacy. The dance of passion was a long one, few can commit what is really necessary to create an eternal bond. But if a pair was really willing to dance, then the climax of their passion will result in a sacred contract, bound in flesh and blood.

* * *

 **Authors note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 7 of The Jian Bird.

I would like to apologize for the delay. I have spent the last two weeks visiting family which severally delayed this chapters completion. Between traveling and visiting it was hard to find time to write.

Anyway back to the story. Back in chapter one, I posed the question of whether or not you guys wanted a lemon chapter. The answer was yes, but if you have any objections then let me know if your opinions have changed. I guess one question I do have is this. When describing certain actions or feelings, I am trying to do it from the point of view and knowledge of the character feeling it. Which means that certain words that they wouldn't know aren't being used. The question I have is would you rather me ditch the immersion and use words that we the audience would know or stick with the more in universe explanations?

The next chapter should be out in another week.

Stay tuned for chapter 8 of The Jian Bird: Logos and Maya


	8. Chapter 8: Logos and Maya

Nine Alpha stood on the faceplate of his FRANXX overlooking the battlefield and the wreckage of Plantation 55. Klaxosaur blood collected in massive puddles creating sapphire blue lakes. The wreckage of Plantation 55 was scattered in a million different places. The only thing that was missing was the magma energy. The Klaxosaur's had gobbled that up before continuing on their campaign against humanity.

Looking around he spotted one of the arms from a FRANXX of Squad 55. They had put up a good fight for humans, but they had all been dead by the time the Nines got here. Unfortunately by the time they had arrived Plantation 55 was on the brink of collapse, and no matter how hard they tried there was no saving it.

He grimaced. Papa wouldn't be happy. Out of the twenty plantations that had been attacked, they had only managed to save eight. He didn't understand how the Klaxosaur's had suddenly reorganized and counterattacked so quickly? At first, it had only been six attacks, which all except two had been repelled. But then out of nowhere, forces bigger than anything he had ever heard of had attacked all across the globe. Reports stated that at least three Super Lehmann classes were on the move, each containing their own armada of deployable Klaxosaurs.

That wasn't to mention the smaller fleets that had struck out independently towards their own targets. The scariest report of all, however, was that supposedly a massive klaxo-dragon had struck out and destroyed serval plantations all on its own. The only good thing about it was that the Klaxosaurs seemed to be hesitant to expose it to attack so its tyranny might not be as fierce as it seemed. He smiled. He would do anything to get a crack at that thing. Might make for an interesting battle instead of just mowing down mindless Klaxosaurs.

Pain assaulted him and he doubled over. An insatiable hungry gripped him, torturing his insides and causing him to claw at himself. He needed his injections. It had been too long since his last dose of energy, and his body was making him pay the price for it. The backups the Nines had in their FRANXX's were all used, and until they made it back to the Garden their would be no resupply.

He pulled out his communicator. "P-Papa." He gasped.

"Yes, Nine Alpha. What is it?" Papa's modulated voice said back.

"W-We need more injections." He panted. "Permission to return the Garden?"

"Granted," Papa said back. "Get back to the garden. The Nines will be given a full flush out and full set of injections when you arrive."

"W-What about the Plantations?" He gasped trying to keep from crying out. "It'll take at least a week if we're getting a full cleanse. What will you do about the Klaxosaurs?"

"I'll have to manage. If everything goes according to plan, I shouldn't lose too many more Plantations."

Nine alpha could tell that at least at the moment, Papa didn't have a plan at all. But Papa was Papa; he would think of something! He always did!

"Of course." He said as clearly as he could manage. "And Thank you for the upkeep; its very much appreciated."

Papa didn't reply but moved on with his next statement. "Each of you will also be given new drones. By the time you're ready for action, they should be fully developed."

Nine Alpha smiled in pleasure. He hoped she was a pretty one. Pretty one's always had the sweetest energy for him to use. The thought of breaking a new one in was already getting him excited. The drones may have been nothing more than human batteries; but still, the sound of their faint whimpering as he used them was like music to his ears.

"May I see her?" He asked with a pleasurable moan.

"You may," Papa said.

The image on the communicator switched to a camera watching a cloning tube. A nearly fully developed female floated in a tube. Its arms and legs gently bumping against the glass because it barely fit in anymore.

The accelerated growing process skipped a lot of the last stages of brain development so it made her submissive to his every whim. What it didn't skip out on was physical growth. The bodies of his drones always stimulated him and if he could he would have explored why that was so. Papa, however, had forbidden him from touching her in those areas. Something about it being animal-like, and that he shouldn't taint himself with falling to such actions.

He was perfectly happy to follow this reasoning. Papa was Papa, and he knew everything.

"Thank you, Papa!" He said taking one last look at her. "W-Will the rest of the Nines be given such suitable replacements?"

"Yes, of course," Papa said disinterestedly. "Two male and two female drones will be ready for the squad a pawn your arrival. Now make your way back to the Garden so you can get back to work."

The communications ended.

The pains of his hunger assaulted him again. It was a good thing he was getting a new drone because he was going to need to harvest from a fresh source of energy. He looked behind him at his drone. She sat in the stamen seat looking worse than ever. Her hair was completely white and the skin under her face mask was shriveled and dry. He studied her gauging how many rides she could do before she needed to be replaced.

"If I feed, there will still be enough to get me to the Garden." He muttered, getting up.

Her blank black eyes shifted to him. He stared at her deciding how best he wanted his energy. It was probably best to just feed on her directly. He sighed. Synced feeding was the best. It was always incredibly stimulating to feel her life forces flow into him; especially if he was feeding. But alas he couldn't risk taking to much at once and leaving himself with a dead battery.

He walked over to her and tilted her head aside. He bared his fangs and began to lower himself towards her neck. The sound of her frantic whimpering got him even more excited. He plunged himself into her neck and sucked away her life juices. He sweetness that had been there when she was new was gone. Replaced by this old stale metallic taste.

When he was done he licked her neck, lapping up the little droplets that leaked out of her. Her whimpering now was nothing more than a faint pathetic sound.

"Oh shut up." He said to the drone. "It's not like I haven't done this before."

Really these batteries made such a fuss. The worst part about it was that they didn't provide anything outside of allowing him to pilot his FRANXX. He remembered his time with Nine Iota. Now she had been an interesting partner. She had only ever allowed him surface level connection, but even with that, it was more exhilarating than anything he had ever experienced. He remembered how he had tried to force his way through the barrier of her mind. But every damn time he had found his way blocked by some child standing sentry to the rest of her mind. If he ever got the chance to ride with her again, he was going to destroy that child and suck up every last drop of her life essence. After all this time of being untouched, it was probably going to be delicious.

He rubbed his jaw where she had once broken it. One time when he was really desperate he had tried to feed off her directly. She had just looked so tender and juicy that he couldn't resist not taking a bit. Long story short she had broken his jaw and refused to ever pilot with him again. Such a shame. She had been such an interesting and uncrackable food source.

He thought of Nine Iota. Now she was paired with some human from Squad 13. What was his code… Code 016. It was surprising that he was still alive. Most stamens didn't last more than three rides with her.

Well, it didn't matter. When he saw Iota again he was going to kill whatever Stamen was her partner and take her for himself. Then he would finally get the essence that was rightfully his.

* * *

 _She sat on the bench just outside Hachi's office. Her partner Hiro had just been escorted in looking dazed. He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. Why was he just now showing up?_

 _She put her face in her hands and began to cry. Tears of sorrow cascading down her face. They were going back to the Garden, and she didn't know what would happen to her next. What had she done to deserve this? She had tried so hard to make it work with him and still they couldn't pilot._

 _What was she going to do now? Her friends and squad mates were about to disappear forever. She was about to lose Ikuno. Would she ever be able to see her again? To glimpse once more her beautiful purple hair and gently olive green eyes. What would she do without her? What would she do without Ikuno's loving smile?_

 _Suddenly she heard part of the conversation going on in the other room._

 _"_ _Code 016, you have been given special permission from HQ to remain here in Mistleteinn."_

 _She gave an audible sob. Why was he being allowed to stay in Mistleteinn!? She had given up everything for him! He was the one who had failed them not her. His inability to connect with her was the problem. So why was he being given special treatment!?_

 _She sat there sobbing until Nana came up a moment later. "Code 703, I have final orders for you."_

 _She looked up hopefully. Did this mean she could stay in Mistleteinn? Would she really be able to see Ikuno again?_

 _"_ _You are to keep Code 016 from entering the transport with you at all costs. It is imperative that he remain at the loading dock."_

 _Her heart shattered. The last vestiges of her hope smashed like glass on the floor. Not only could she not stay in Mistleteinn, but now she had to keep her failure of a partner here._

 _This was so unfair! He was the failure! He was the one that held them back! Why was he being allowed to stay?_

 _Nana turned and left her to wallow in her mystery. That was it. Her life was over. What was the purpose of living anymore?_

 _She was doomed to go back to the Garden. Everybody that was useless to Papa disappeared; never to be seen or heard from again. And now she was doomed to that fate. A fate of uncertainty and sorrow._

Her dream changed.

She was kneeling in the center of a group of small figures. Each of them had blue skin and black markings, but their faces were blurred. Different shades of light blue hair fell at unique lengths on each of them.

She smiled. These were her's. The children she valued above everybody. It made her so happy to see them here. She was so proud of all of them.

"Come here." She said happily holding out her arms.

All the little bodies rushed towards her. They collided and wrapped their little arms around her. She hugged them to her, feeling the warmth of their bodies on her skin. She gave each of them a kiss on the top of the head, feeling their little horns dig gently into her throat.

"I'm so proud of all of you." She sobbed overjoyed.

Naomi jerked awake. She was lying on a very comfortable bed with blankets pulled up to her shoulders. The room was dark, but there was a faint light coming from a massive window.

There was a gently nudging as something inside her began to gently collide with her belly. Whatever was inside her was trying to get her attention, and was adding just enough force to rouse her without it being painful.

She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She had just experienced the strangest dream. The first part of it had been a memory. She gave an exasperated sigh. That memory wasn't a happy one, and what it had led to was even worse. She didn't even want to think of the nasty things she had said, just to get Hiro to stay. If she ever saw him again she defiantly owed him an apology.

Changing the subject she thought of the second part of the dream. All those little figures that she was hugging. Who were they? For some reason, she had felt immense pride and joy as she hugged them to her. They seemed special. Each one of them was unique and different but at the same time, familiar. For some reason, she felt like they were bonded to her. Like, they were her special little bundles of joy.

As if on cue, serval of the orbs nudged against her with slightly more force then usual. Wincing she reach across with her right hand and stroked her belly. The skin beneath her fingers was soft and warm, but she could feel what felt like muscles as she stoked. She flexed it and felt a curious sensation. It appeared that when she did that, the fluid inside her had kind of swirled. Judge by how she now felt all the orbs bouncing around inside her, it seemed like they had been picked up in a current and tossed around.

She giggled softly. "Sorry, guys. You'll have to forgive me." She sighed again, but this time in a comforted and affectionate sort of way. "Anyway, Good morning I hope you slept well."

Belatedly she realized that she was talking to the lifeforms inside her belly again. She didn't exactly know what they were, and still, she was holding a conversation with them as if they were actually people. She shrugged mentally. For now, they were the only things she had, and if it kept for from losing her mind in this strange place, then she should utilize it.

One of the orbs collided with something inside her and all of a sudden she felt the overpowering urge to pee. It was then that she realized that she couldn't remember the last time she used the bathroom.

Quickly she rolled out of bed. She scanned the room for some sign of a bathroom. Momentarily she was distracted by the view outside the massive window, but the clenching of her pelvic muscles quickly brought her back to her goal.

"There." She said in relief. There was a door leading off the room and she hoped it was a bathroom.

Luckily for her, it was. She practically flew over to the toilet and her skirt teleported off her in a second.

She gave a massive sigh. Never in her life had she felt such bliss.

As she relieved herself she looked around the bathroom. It was the biggest bathroom she had ever seen in her life. One wall was taken up by a tub that she could have easily fit the whole squad into. The tub was beautifully carved and inlaid with imagery of what looked like different murals of some sort of civilization.

There was also a luxurious looking shower that had beautifully tiled steps that lead directly into the aforementioned tub. There were so many elegantly carved knobs and switches between these two things alone, that she was surprised that there wasn't an instruction board on the wall telling you what they all did. She also noticed the abundance of fluffy looking embroidered towels scattered at strategically places on the walls.

Suddenly she realized that she had long finished relieving herself, and now she was just sitting, staring in wonder. Shaking herself mentally, she looked around for something to wipe herself with. Luckily there was a dispenser right next to her that could solve her problem.

Getting up she looked around the rest of the room. The one thing she had missed was a gorgeously carved vanity with a more intricate sink then she had ever seen in her life. The lighting in the room was magnificent too. What looked to be flowing magma pulsated through panels in the wall and ceiling.

Stopping she spotted herself in a massive mirror. Her reflection as so different from the last time she had looked at it, that she had a hard time believing it was really her. Her right eye which had once been chestnut brown was now glowing icy blue. A black marking like she had seen on the queen ringed her eye before falling down the rest of her face. The whole right side of her body was starting to take on a dark cyan pigment, which made her look half dead. The veins in her chest, arm, and face were all glowing blue, making it look like she was covered in thousands of tiny rivers.

She reached up and stroked the massive glowing blue "X" on her chest. The whole thing pulsated like a heartbeat, but she knew that deep down this "X" was more than just her heart. Her whole body seemed to be oriented around this "X". Her breasts had even been reworked to accommodate the extra space. Speaking of her breasts, for some reason they felt heavier than usual; almost as if they were full of something. Although that was probably just her imagination since she wasn't used to wearing nothing but a short skirt. Shrugging she went back to examining her body. She traced her finger along thick veins that ran all over her torso. Most of them ended up circling back to the space where the orbs were living.

For the next few minutes, she stared at the mirror and watched as the orbs swam around inside her. It was then that she realized that whoever had rescued her from the transport had completely reworked her body to serve as a carrier for these orbs. She was now responsible for everything they needed, from food, all the way down to giving them her affection and attention.

She sighed mentally. It didn't really seem that she had a choice in the matter. They were apart of her now, so the least she could do was nurture them for as long as they needed. She knew that she should probably be scared or angry since she had involuntarily been forced to be their carrier. But she really couldn't bring herself to do it. After being a failure and of no use to anybody for her whole life; it felt kind of nice to know that at least something or someone now depended on her.

Suddenly she realized that while she had been lost in her thoughts, she had wrapped her tentacle protectively around her belly, instinctually protecting her little orbs from harm.

"Great, now I have to figure out how to get this thing off." She said exasperatedly.

By far the most difficult and annoying thing that had happened to her was this tentacle. It really did feel foreign on her body, and she was having a hard time getting this appendage to do what she wanted. She just couldn't understand how to work this thing. When it was all one unit she could feel it's incredible strength and power, which made her afraid to use it. When it split into smaller tentacles she felt like she couldn't keep track of them all.

Closing her eyes, she focused all her efforts on unraveling the tentacle from around her abdomen. She imaged it peeling back away from her and raising it up into the air.

Opening her eyes she found that she had done just that. Her tentacle was stretched up in the air and she had a very determined look on her face.

"Alright now I just need to get it back down." She said determinedly.

Closing her eyes she imagined the next phase of the procedure. She imaged clenching her fist, hopefully, that would keep the tentacle from splitting. Now the tentacle lowered, lowered, lowered. There! If she had done it right the tentacle should be by her leg. A second later she felt it do just that.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was back under control.

Satisfied she took one more look at the massive bathroom. Turning she made her way back to the bedroom. When she stepped into the dark room she began blinking and wincing furiously. Since only one of her eyes could see in the dark, and the other had just been in an environment of light the sudden shift was temporally blinding her.

"Damn. I really wish there was some light." She said to nobody in particular.

Suddenly panels on the walls and ceiling retracted and the whole room lit up and she was able to see as her eyes restored to equilibrium.

"Jeez, this place gets more impressive by the minute." She muttered quietly to herself.

She stood and stared around the room. It was only then that she appreciated the details of the room she had been sleeping in. Her bed was massive and sat against the back wall facing two of the walls that were complete glass. A desk sat against one of the glass walls. Walking over to it she saw all sorts of tech and display screens inlaid in the desk. The desk chair looked far more comfortable than anything in Mistilteinn's library.

Finally, she looked up and gazed through the massive glass wall.

"What the hell happened here?" She gasped.

She looked out over what was once a beautiful city. Black builds with glowing blue accents towered from the floor and ceiling reaching out to meet each other. Colosseums and massive sculptures dotted the cityscape displaying for anyone to see the magnificences of this civilization. Massive fountains of either water or magma shot their magnificence into the air.

All of it destroyed. Buildings were missing massive chunks, or else lay crumbled completely destroyed. Massive sheets of paneling or wall lay strewn across the ground, destroying many smaller buildings and roads. The once great colosseums and sculptures were piles of rubble or else shells of their former selves. Water that had once sprayed in artistically patterned jets, now just shot into the air, or else spewed from burst pipes. Magma spilled and leaked over everything, creating rivers and lakes of glowing destruction. The only life was a few small Klaxosaurs treading the destroyed streets far below.

"What happened to this place?" She muttered still shocked.

Something terrible had happened here. What could have possibly destroyed such a magnificent city? Who would have done this?

Her eyes followed one of the roads and saw vehicles parked all over the place. All of them were completely abandoned, and most of them were crushed by some sort of rumble.

She continued to gaze around. This whole city appeared like it was once built to house millions of people.

She grimaced in confusion as something she had been told her whole life clashed with the facts that she was seeing now. Papa had told her that Klaxosaurs were nothing but mindless beasts intent on destroying humanity. But now it appeared that he had either been wrong or had been lying to her; because she now had two confirmed instances of that not being the case.

As creepy as the Queen was, she defiantly seemed more human then any other Klaxosaur she had ever seen. The second she was staring at right now. She could see just by the layout of the builds that, this city was meant to house some sort of human-like species.

But if that was the case, then where had they all gone. She stared at the city trying to find at least one person. Not a single person was walking any of the streets. Which meant that the only confirmed instance of a living person was the Queen.

"Where is everyone?" She muttered.

Suddenly all the orbs collided against her belly. Gasping in pain she doubled up clutching her stomach. That really stung. She really wished that there was a less painful way for them to get her attention, because that hurt.

"Hey, what did you do that for!?" She said lifting her arms so she could see the orbs.

The orbs, of course, said nothing, but instead gently nuzzled against her insides.

"What do you guys want?" She asked puzzled.

A few moments later she saw a few of the orbs disappear up behind her skin. Then she felt them nuzzling against her up there too.

Naomi stared at them utterly confused. She simply couldn't figure out what these little orbs wanted.

While she stood there pondering, she realized that for some reason, she was really hungry. Sometime soon she needed to try and find some food. A few more orbs joined there siblings at the top of her abdomen. A second later she remembered that before she had gone to bed the orbs had fed off her from up there.

A few moments later she connected the two facts together.

"You guys are hungry, aren't you?" She said to the orbs.

Her response was just more nudging.

"Okay, okay I get it. I'll try to find something to eat." She said, rubbed her belly in an attempt to communicate to them that she understood.

Taking one final glance at the city, she turned and began scanning the room for anything that resembled food. Unfortunately, she couldn't spot anything except a few comfy looking sofas and chairs.

While she searched, it dawned on her how luxurious this room really was. Just this room alone had more comforts then all the rooms she had ever seen combined. Everything looked to be of high quality and was so amazingly well crafted, that she was surprised it wasn't in some sort of gallery.

Curiously she wondered why she had been given such a room. She had gotten the district impression that the Queen had not liked her very much. In their first meeting, the Queen had violated and tortured her. As well as not giving her any information that might soothe or explain what had happened to her since she had last been aware of herself.

Which all begged the questions as to why? Why had she been given a room so lavish that it would be worthy of royalty? After the treatment, she had received she wouldn't have been surprised if she had been forced to sleep on the floor.

The memory of the Queen and what had transpired reminded her of a possible food source. The Queen had forced her to drink that scolding hot liquid. She shivered in discomfort. That memory was quite painful and the prospect of seeing that liquid again was not enjoyable. Conversely, it had made her feel full and the feeling of feeding the little orbs had been oddly satisfying.

She searched the room for a few more minutes. It would be nice to find a way to accomplish both tasks without having to endure such pain again.

A sharp jab from one of the orbs, however, made her relent to the fact that at least for now, that liquid was her only form of nutrition. Sighing in defeat she walked over to the door and opened it. Glancing around she spotted the bowl full of glowing liquid. Walking over to it she glanced down at the liquid, watching as it slowly bubbled. Curiously she wondered how it had been refilled since she was pretty sure she had drunk the whole thing. It was then that she noticed golden drips coming from some sort of weird rock faucet.

A couple of the orbs jabbed her again, and she realized that she was going to have to drink this thing again. Gulping in trepidation she leaned forward resting both her hand and tentacle on the smooth rock surface alongside the bowl.

"Just drink it fast and it'll be over." She muttered.

Forcing herself not to run she bent down and placed her lips on the surface of the liquid. She took a few deep breaths through her nose, feeling the heat radiating onto her face. Closing her eyes she gulped in as much of the liquid as she could handle.

The liquid was still hot, but nowhere near as bad as it had been the first time. It still hurt like hell but at least this time it was bearable. She even thought that she might be able to taste something beneath its fiery temperature.

She went to take another massive gulp before she thought better of it. Instead of forcing it down her throat, it might be more advantageous to sip the liquid. Maybe if she went slower she might become more accustom to its fiery temperature.

Gently she bent down and sipped the liquid. The first few sips still hurt but after a few minutes of sipping she found that it felt more like drinking hot tea then liquid fire.

She spent the next few minutes sipping the liquid, doing her best to stay as committed as possible. The level in the bowl slowly decreased as she drank. When the bowl was about half empty she paused; looking at the liquid. Her mouth and throat ached from the heat, but at least they weren't raw like yesterday. She debated on whether she should finish the bowl now or later. At the moment she felt like she had eaten a reasonable meal but by no means did she feel full.

She shrugged and stood up. If she needed she could always return and eat more.

"There, you happy now?" She said to the orbs.

It was a pointless question. She knew full well that the orbs hadn't eaten anything yet. Even though she had only felt it once; the sensation of them feeding was quite distinct.

Stretching, she turned and examined the room around her. What she had mistaken for a room was actually a large dimly lit hallway. The door to her room was actually one of many that lined the hall. Each of them was labeled with a number, and hers was designated as room 016.

Curiously she walked down the hall reading each little number plaque as she went.

When she got to the end of the hall she spotted a screen displaying a map of the building. A marker marked her location and she read "Royal guest right wing."

"Royal guest wing?" She muttered. "Why have I been placed here?"

It appeared that her earlier assumption that she had been traveling deeper into the structure was false. She now realized that it was more likely that she had moved across the structure not down.

"How big is this thing?" She breathed in awe.

Reaching out she touched the screen. As the screen came alive beneath her fingers she zoomed out and twisted the image so that she could see the structure as a whole. The screen showed a glowing blue X-ray layout of a massive pyramid. Just judging by the sheer amount of floors, the pyramid was probably fifty times larger then Plantation 13.

"What is this place?" She muttered.

She scanned the screen and found a title. "Rakuen"

"Rakuen? What does that mean?" She said confused.

The title of the text changed and it read. "Paradise"

She scoffed. Paradise was not the word she would have used to describe this place. She continued her scanning until she found a list of floors. There were hundreds of them towering up from the base of the pyramid. The one that caught her eye was; "Throne room." She tapped on it and sub-screen popped asking if she would like to know how to get there.

She knew she probably shouldn't but the temptation was just too much to resist. Tapping it quickly she shivered in anticipation as the console processed her request.

"Come on. Come on." She said as she looking around nervously.

Suddenly blue strips of light appeared on the walls; undulating in the direction she needed to go.

Gulping in anticipation and fear she cautiously began to follow the lights down a dark corridor. She inched her way forward as her two eyes competed in their separate ways of seeing. Far in the distance, she heard the faint whine of some air system cycling. A blast of freezing cold air chilled her from head to toe and her skin erupted in goosebumps. The floor beneath her feet felt dead, and the oppressive cold was trying to suck her life into a pit of despair.

Maybe she should go back. If she got lost, she may never be able to find her way back. She turned and found that she couldn't see where she had come.

She stood frozen in fear. She was completely lost. Her two eyes were in a war for dominance over her ability to see; their bloody feud completely blinding her. She was completely overwhelmed by the sheer obsessiveness of the bone-chilling cold. The constant whine of the air system deafening her sense of sound. The undulating of the blue strip beckoned her into the abyss. An abyss where nothing could escape from the clutches of death.

She was going to cry. No. No Please! Please, not all alone! I don't want to die!

Through her fear, a faint feeling of sucking entered her consciousness. She clung to it, following the diving light that seemed to shine through the darkness. A gently tickling sensation became more and more distinct as it dragged her towards its welcoming light.

She burst back into herself and dragged in a breath of reviving air. The gentle tug, tug, tug, of a group of objects, became more distinct inside her. A warm feeling of satisfaction washed over her as she suckled new life. She stood for a few minutes, just feeling her body feed the little orbs inside her.

"Thanks, guys." She said to the orbs. "You really saved me there."

She felt an extra strong tug from the little orbs, but beyond that, they made no response.

She breathed in another deep breath. The feeling of the orbs feeding was helping her to clear her head. The answer to her inability to see clearly was simple. Just close her left eye. Instantly the world came alive around her. The hallway was simple and elegant and she could see down far at the end where it turned around a corner. Now that she could see, all the other fears vanished in a puff of smoke. The undulating blue strip of light no longer seemed threatening, but instead seemed to be urging her on to explore what lay beyond the next bend.

With one finally calming breath, she set off. The undulating blue light guiding her through the hall as it split into ever more increasing passages. Ornate paintings and foreign looking plants lined the walls, breaking the monotony of the black stone. She even passed serval balconies and windows, that displayed ever more magnificent views of the destroyed city.

After several long minutes of walking, she came to what looked to be a wall of elevators. Moments later the elevator in the center opened its doors, inviting her. Tentatively she stepped in and gazed at the floor screen. A floor number ten levels from the bottom flashed on the panel, urging her to touch it. "B001"

With batted breath she tapped it and the elevator began to move down. After serval minutes of standing, she sat down on the floor. The indicator on the screen showed that she was barely halfway down, which meant she was going to be here for a while.

As the elevator descended around her she looked down into her belly. The orbs had stopped feeding and were now gently swimming around inside her. A couple of them, however, hadn't joined their siblings and were just resting, nestled in the base of her pelvis. Smiling happily she gently stroked her belly, feeling her warm skin beneath her fingers.

A few minutes later the elevator came to a halt and its doors opened with a hiss. Quickly she got up and made her way out. Before her was a massive tunnel carved in the rocks. It looked ancient and like it was carved many thousands of years ago. Connected to it were more large tunnels that extended so far that they seemed to be swallowed up by an endless abyss. Gulping nervously she began to make her way down the main tunnel, as the light from something ahead seemed to shimmer and glow.

The end of the tunnel deposited her into a massive cavern, lit by thousands of glowing blue gems impeded in the rock. Four pillars stretched up to the ceiling, supporting the massive roof of the cave. Up ahead a staircase stretched up to a ridge where she could just make out a throne perched at its edge. Behind it was a massive mass of black coils with simmering blue accents.

Cautiously she worked her way across the cavern, her ears straining to pick up anything out of the ordinary. She was only a few feet from the base of the stairs when she heard it. Something in this cave was breathing. Something was alive in here, and she had no idea what it was. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and the urge to run was growing within her.

"Aaaa. I see you're awake." Said a voice.

"Who's there!" She said, faking a braveness she did not feel.

To her horror, a massive Klaxosaur lifted its head and stared at her with its golden serpentine eyes. As it continued to uncurl itself she saw that the whole thing was a colossal sized serpent. It's head towered above her, as it continued to stare at her.

She trembled in fear. Instinctively she shielded her belly with her right hand and brought her tentacle up in a vain attempt to protect herself. It's a Klaxosaur! It's a Klaxosaur! I'm going to die! It's going to eat me, and it'll all be over! Slowly she began to back away, hoping against hope that she could somehow make it out of this alive.

The massive serpent let out a deep rumbling chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you." It gave her a kind smile, as its golden eyes continued to pierce into her.

Her mouth fell open in shock. Was this Klaxosaur talking to her? No, this must be some sort of dream. Klaxosaurs weren't supposed to be able to talk. That would defy everything she had ever been told.

The Klaxosaur seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. "I'm guessing this is your first time seeing a Klaxosaur who can talk?"

"Y-Yes." She said timidly. Both her arm and tentacle were still raised in their protective positions, futilely shielding her from the attack she knew was coming.

"You have nothing to fear from me." It said in a soothing voice. "I promise I will not eat you, or your little ones."

Gradually she lowered her arms, still slightly suspicious of the massive serpent. For some reason, however, she couldn't sense any malice in its intentions. She found its deep voice, in a strange sort of way, calming.

"That's better." It said kindly. "Now tell me. Do you have a name I can call you by?"

"Naomi." She said cautiously.

"Naomi." The serpent said sweetly. "That's a pretty name."

Ignoring the praise she returned the question. "W-Whats your name?"

The serpent gazed at her for a long moment before answering. "Logos. My name is Logos."

She stared at him, trying to see if she could read the intentions behind that serpentine face.

"I'm guessing that might be easier if you had some light?" He said.

She was completely stunned. How had the Klaxosaur read her mind? "H-How did you know what I was thinking?" She squeaked.

"I can see the way your eye is moving." He said. Lifting his head he spoke to the ceiling. "Raise Rakuen light levels to five."

Instantly the whole throne room illuminated with light, revealing the face that had been hidden in shadow. Slowly she opened her left eye and found that she could see as clearly as if it were day.

The serpent returned his gaze to her. "So Naomi. I hope you are enjoying your stay."

"Y-Yes everything has been stellar." She lied. The truth was that apart from the little orbs, she hadn't been enjoying her experience so far. She shivered at the thought of the queen. In their first meeting, the Queen had violated and abused her, before forcing her to drink that liquid fire. She now knew that it had a purpose, but to force it down her throat was extremely cruel.

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "The Queen didn't treat you very well did she."

"N-No." She muttered, not looking him in the eye.

He gave a massive sigh. "I'll talk to her about it."

The mention of the word talk triggered the question that she had been dying to ask since the beginning. "How can you talk!?" She blurted out. "I mean, I've never heard of a Klaxosaur that can talk before."

"Well, you're correct. I'm the only one who can do it." He said calmly. "I'm afraid my brethren have lost the ability to speak."

"Lost?" She asked confused. "What do you mean lost? Weren't the Klaxosaurs always the way they are now?"

"No, we weren't." He said sadly. "Before, I continue you may want to sit down. We're going to be here awhile. That is If you're interested of course?"

"Sure." She said quickly. Carefully she took a seat on the stone floor, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible.

The massive serpent cleared its throat a few time before speaking. When he finally did it was in a sad reminiscent sort of way. "We Klaxosaurs were not ways the beasts you see now. There was a time long ago when we were known as the Klaxo-sapiens. " He explained. "Once we were a great civilization, that lived far below the surface of the Earth. For thousands of years, we lived in peace and prosperity. Everybody did their part for the betterment of our race; leaving us free of petty squabbles and unless vendettas. We spent our time pursuing the arts and sciences; creating masterpieces of dazzling beauty, and discovering the mysteries of the higher realms."

Naomi felt a great sense of foreboding at what was to come. She had seen the city from her room, and although it looked like it could have once been magnificent it was now nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Gulping she asked. "W-What happened?"

"Humans." The great serpent said.

"Humans? What do you mean?"

"In order to understand, you must know one thing about us. Our race was completely centered around the use of magma energy. We used it for everything, from powering our great cities, right down to eating it as food."

She gulped nervously. She could see where this was going and knew it wasn't going to end well.

The great serpent's voice brought her back to the story. "So, you could imagine our alarm when we discovered that the surface dwellers were drilling our precious resource. You see, not only were they taking what we as a species relied on; but the process of their drilling introduced a poison that was deadly to our race. Thousands of people were dying daily. Men, women, children, all dying in the most excruciating way possible."

Her heart felt like it was in her stomach. She tried her best not to think of her friends. She struggled to keep herself from imagining what they would look like, dying that way. Ikuno was lying on a bed. Thrashing, thrashing, thrashing, frothing at the mouth as her body struggled to keep itself alive. NO! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! DON'T THINK OF THESE THINGS!

The story got worse. "Desperate, we sent an envoy to the leader of humanity. The man calling himself Papa received them and they begged him to stop drilling. One heavily wounded man was all that returned. He barely managed to tell us that Papa had refused outright and then killed everyone except him."

Naomi couldn't understand. Papa had taken care of all humanity. He had set up plantations for them all to live on and took care of their every need. He was a wise and kind leader who only wanted to protect his people. But was that really the truth? Papa looked after the children because they fought the Klaxosaurs. Even then, Papa never actually took care of them; that job was done by the caretakers. On top of it all, ever since she had been here, she had been discovering things that Papa had never mentioned. Not only that but some of the things she'd seen and heard outright contradicted, everything Papa had said. Did that mean she had been lied to her whole life? Was Papa really just using the children to fight his battles for him?

"So what happened?" She asked looking Logos directly in his eyes.

"War." He said plainly. "When we learned what Papa had done, we realized we had no other choice but to fight for our lives. Luckily, one of our scientists discovered a way for us to become the Klaxosaurs you see now. So that's what we did. Slowly one by one, every adult turned themselves into a Klaxosaur, in order to fight the growing battle against humanity. Eventually, none of the adults remained, and we were forced to rely on the children for our continued survival."

"So the children are still around somewhere?" She asked, relieved. She was beginning to think that this story had no silver lining.

"No, their all dead." He said sadly.

"H-How did they die?" She said choking on her words.

"The children were living in a building inside the city when it happened. We found out later that something had been fired at the surface above the city. The tremors of this colossal explosion, shook the city so violently that it all came crashing down. All myself and the Queen could do was watch in horror as a building fell right on top of where the children were staying."

"S-So the Queen is the last of the Klaxo-sapiens?" She asked, realizing the implications of what he was saying.

"Not exactly." He said staring her with his big golden eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked confused. "Are the children still alive?"

"In a manner of speaking." He said smiling at her. "A more correct way of putting it would be that they're still growing."

"Still growing? T-Then where are they."

"Inside of you." He said smiling.

"Inside of me…." Her voice trailed off as she looked down at her belly. A couple of the orbs were still gently swimming around inside her. The others she could feel nestled comfortably in her pelvis.

"Yes, Naomi. You're pregnant with the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens."

"Pregnant? What's that mean?" She asked confused.

Logos gave a slight sigh before explaining. "Forgive me, I forgot that you wouldn't know. Pregnant is a term used to designate a female who is growing a baby, or in this case babies inside her." She was about to ask what a baby was when he cut for off by answered her question. "A baby is a very young version of an organism. And yes before you even ask, every species can have them. That's why males and females are different."

"So… What your saying is that I'm pregnant with Klaxo-sapien babies?"

"Yes."

"And you said that they're going to grow inside of me?"

"Yes."

"So… What will happen when their too big to fit inside me?"

Logos looked at her for a few seconds before answering. "You know that slit between your legs?"

"Y-Yeah."

"They'll come out of there when they're done growing inside of you." He explained.

"Why?" She asked. The thought of things emerging from between her legs was kind of weird. And for some reason, part of her knew it was going to be a lot of work, to get these, baby things from inside her to outside her.

"I don't know." He said a few moments later. "That's just how it works, I guess."

She sat there for a few minutes, just pondering their conversation. So she was pregnant with the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens. The whole survival of this race solely relied on her ability to nurture these babies, until they were ready to be brought into the world. Part of her was scared; she had babies growing inside her, which meant that she was responsible for their every need. Then she would have to get these babies to emerge from between her legs and out into the world. It defiantly was a big responsibility, and part of her felt that she wouldn't be up to the challenge. Although another part of her was eager to accept this challenge. It sounded like it was going to be quite a unique experience. She already felt attached to them, so maybe nurturing them and bringing them into the world wasn't such a bad thing after all. She wondered what it would be like to hold them in her arms, feeling there warm little bodies against. her skin. For some reason, she felt pretty confident, that she was going to have to do that for them. She didn't think it likely that they would just plop out and start running around on their own.

She smiled. It was defiantly going to be an interesting experience, to say the least.

Looking down she stroked her belly affectionately. These were her little babies so she would care for them to the best of her ability. She finally had something that she could do, and she was going to perform to the best of her ability.

As she watched her little babies, a question came into her head. It suddenly donned on her that she didn't know exactly how they had gotten there.

"Logos?" She asked looking up.

"Yes."

"Who gave me my babies?" Quickly she realized that she hadn't formed the question the way she had wanted to. "I mean, what happened to me to make me fit to carrying them?"

Logos smiled at her. He seemed pleased that she was willing to carry the babies. "In order to explain that, I should probably back up. Before the last of us turned into Klaxosaurs, the Queen had a group of twenty-four different couples set aside a fertilized eggs. This was gone so that if something happened to the children, we could one day repopulate." His face took on a very painful expression. "Unfortunately the Queen is infertile, and everything we tried to get an egg to grow on its own it failed."

He sat for a few moments before he shook his head as if trying to rid himself of a bad memory. "Forgive me I still haven't answered your question." He paused for a moment before answering. "All I know is what the Queen told me. Apparently, when you came to us, you were pretty much dead. You were missing your right eye and your left arm was completely severed; you also had a massive piece of shrapnel through your abdomen."

Naomi shivered in fear. Had all that really happened to her? It was a miracle she was still alive.

Bring her attention back to Logos, she listened to the rest of what he had to say. "The Queen, however, was ecstatic to have you in such a condition. It meant that she could rework your whole body to create the perfect environment for the eggs to grow in. I don't know all the details of what she did, but basically the long and short of it is, that you are now the ideal person to be pregnant with the remaining twelve eggs."

Naomi choked in surprise. "Twelve!" She exclaimed. "C-Can my body really handle twelve growing babies!?"

Logos started laughing, his deep rumbling voice echoing around the chamber. When he finally gathered himself he answered her question. "My apologies, I did not mean to be rude. I believe the answer to your question is yes. Klaxo-sapien babies when born are significantly smaller than human babies. It'll be a tight fit towards the end, but I believe you'll be able to deliver them all safely into the world." He smiled at her affectionately. "Needless to say, you'll have quite the big family when they're born."

Silently Naomi wondered what the words, born and family, meant but decided that she could ask them later. The question she really wanted answered was. "So, umm, how long will I be pregnant for?"

"I believe the normal pregnancy time for Klaxo-sapiens is two years. Since your pregnant with Klaxo-sapien babies, that would probably be the safest guess for their development time."

She sat and pondered all the information she had just been given. So she was now pregnant with the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens, so the survival of a race depended on her. Which meant that she had to carry and nurture twelve babies for the next two years before they were ready to be brought into the world.

As she was pondering, a detail from their conversation struck her attention. Logos had used the word "remaining" when telling her how many babies she was pregnant with. Suddenly a shivered ran up her spine. Shakily she asked her question. "Logos, what did you mean by the remaining twelve?"

She watched as pain crossed that serpentine face. Instantly she knew that she had stepped on a very painful memory.

He stared at her for a few moments; almost as if he was trying to decide whether to tell her or not.

"Come over here, child." He said using his tail to beckon her over to him.

Warily she got up and walked up the stair till she stood right next to the throne. Logos's giant snake-like body was right in front of her. Up close she realized that he was so massive that it would take the entire squad to wrap around his massive girth. His entire body was made of some sort of biomechanical muscle, and his glowing blue accents were dazzling from up close. After a few moments of staring, she realized that he was made of the exact same material that her tentacle was.

Suddenly he began shirking, and his massive body became smaller and smaller until he was just a little taller than her. Her mouth fell open in shock. Never in her life had she ever seen anything shriek from filling half a cavern, to being just a little taller than her.

"Come with me." He said.

Hurriedly she started off after him as he began to slither towards a door that he had been concealing. As she walked after him, she realized that whatever was behind that door was probably extremely important.

When they got to the door it slide open with a loud hiss. Step into the room she immediately spotted twelve person sized tubes arranged in two rows. Each tube was filled with some sort of liquid, and some weird sort of object was floating in each of them. She could also see that each tube had what looked to be serval holographic monitors glowing on the glass. One of the tubes was emitting a very faint beeping noise that came at slow intermittent intervals.

Logos without saying a word lead her over to the first tube in the line. Silently she looked up at the object within. It was nothing more than a blob of flesh, floating within that strange liquid. She felt her heartbeat accelerating. Something terrible had happened to this thing, and the site of it made her uneasy.

They turned and crossed the room to another tube. This blob of flesh looked a little more defined and, she thought she could see what looked like the beginnings of an arm extending from one side. The next blob was more elongated and she could see serval sections of flesh jaunting out from the top and bottom. The forth blob really scared her. What looked to be the beginnings of a head had formed at the top, and she could see serval disfigured arms and legs.

The fifth was more of a little figure than a blob. Its head was massively disproportionate to the rest of its body, and its arms looked all shriveled and weak. It wasn't until the sixth however that she realized what these were. Her heart broken. No! Please don't tell me these are what I think they are! No, Please! What had they ever done to deserve this!

Shaking she turned to Logos and asked in a barely audible voice. "Logos. W-What are t-these things? Please tell me their not what I think they are."

He looked at her sadly. "They are. These are indeed the failed attempts to regrow our species."

She reached up and touched the glass. It was cold and dead beneath her fingers, mimicking the state of the baby that had once grown within. She gazed up at it, determined to take in every detail of that disfigured face.

Slowly she turned and they made their way to the next tube. This baby was slightly more formed, but its body was still grotesquely bent out of shape. She looked over at the heart monitor, but the display the blank. This one was dead too.

Gulping hard she followed Logos as they observed the rest of the tubes. Each one harbored a dead baby, that was only marginally bigger than the last.

It wasn't until the final tube that anything really changed. Immediate she noticed that the figure in front of her was more of a small child than a baby. Silently she noted that the child was a girl, but unfortunately, that was the one thing that would ever distinguish it from the others. The little girl's boney little arms and legs were shriveled uselessly against its body; its head tilted pathetical towards its shoulder. She gazed up at the child's disfigured face, its cyan skin drooping lifelessly off its skull.

Naomi stared at the child and whispered softly to her. "I'm so sorry child. If only there was something I could do to help you."

Just then the girl opened its eyes. It stared at her through barely opened eyelids, its eyes emanating a faint blue glow. Naomi's heart leaped into her mouth. The girl was alive! The girl was alive! At the speed of light, her eyes dashed over to the heart monitor on the glass. Sure enough, the faint lines indicating a heartbeat were visible, accompanied by a faint rhythmic beeping.

"Logos!" She cried happily. "She's alive!"

Logos only gazed at the girl and whispered sadly. "S-She's dying."

Naomi's heart shattered into a million pieces. Tears began to slide down her face, and she struggled to find something to say. This was so unfair. Why did this poor helpless little girl have to die too? She was so precious and fragile; why did she have to be taken away? This, This child she deserved to live.

Naomi struggled to think of something. She was pregnant and currently nurturing babies of her own. Maybe she could give this little girl some of her energy; feed her like she did with her own babies. The weight of her full breasts gave her an idea. The rest of her had been altered to carry and nurture life, maybe she could get these useless bags of flesh modified to feed this little girl.

"Logos!" She cried. "I could do it! Modify me, and I'll nurture this little girl back to life." She gestured frantically to her breasts. "Have the Queen change these so that I can feed her!"

He looked at her sadly, and if he could have cried he would probably be doing so. "I'm touched that you would be willing to do that Naomi." His voice cracked with sadness as he finished his statement. "But I'm sorry; she's to far gone, for you to be able to do anything. The best you can do is wish her well, and let her die in peace."

Naomi fell to her knees and gazed helplessly up at the little girl. She felt like somebody had torn out her heart and replaced it with an endless void of despair. All the happiness was gone from the world, and without it, the world felt cold. There was nothing she could do to help this little girl, except watch her die.

"H-How long does she have left?" She asked, choking on her words.

"I don't know." He said softly. "Probably a few more weeks at the most."

Naomi looked back at the little girl and watched as those precious glowing little eyes searched her.

They stared at each other for serval long minutes before Logos broke the silence. Gently she felt his tail wrap around her arm, and give it a little squeeze. "Come child. It's time for us to leave."

Shakily she let him pull her to her feet and gently guide her towards the door. "Will I be able to see her again?" She asked faintly.

"You will. But for now its time you returned to your room. You have little ones of your own which require your attention."

Just then she became conscious of the fact, that her little orbs were nudging gently against her belly. And judging by how hungry she suddenly felt, she guessed that her babies were probably looking for food.

Quickly she took one last look at the little girl before the door to the room hissed shut behind them.

Silently they made their way back towards the throne. When they got there Logos swelled to his colossal size again and resumed the place where he had been sitting. Silently she watched as he used his colossal body to shield the door to the dead children.

Reaching out she placed a hand against his body, feeling it pulsate as he breathed. "Thank you Logos. I will take everything you told me to heart. A-And thank you for…"

"I'm afraid my husband, has a tendency to not keep his mouth shut." Said a cold harsh voice.

Jumping about ten feet in the air, she spun around to see the Queen standing at the entrance to the throne room. The Queen's cruel glowing eyes pierced into her, and she could almost feel the Queen's hatred.

Logos chuckled softly. "Whoops, it looks like I've been caught." Leaning down he whispered to her. "Run along Naomi; we'll talk later, I promise."

Gulping nervously she quickly made her way down the stairs. She tried her best not to tremble as she got closer and closer to the queen. As she passed by, the queen said in a loud cold voice. "You are going to fill the bowl to the top and feed the babies. If I come up there, and you haven't I will force it down your throat. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes!" She shouted hurriedly.

She walked as fast as she could away from the throne room. Once she was out of sight she broke into a run and dashed to the elevator. Its doors appeared to be left open so she jumped inside. Immediately the doors shut and she began ascending back towards her room.

As she traveled, she realized that the queen had probably preprogrammed this elevator to take her back. It was the only explanation as to why it was doing everything by itself.

"She really doesn't trust me, huh." She muttered.

Suddenly one of the orbs collided painfully with her belly. Groaning in pain she reached down and stroked her belly, in a vain attempt to get the pain to go away.

"I know guys." She said through gritted teeth. "Just give me another few minutes and I'll feed you."

Silently she thought. You know, as amazing of it feeling it was to be pregnant, it could really hurt sometimes.

The thought of pain reminded her of that poor little girl. Why did she have to suffer that fate? Why couldn't she have been another of the orbs for her to nurture? Why did any of them have to die in such a horrific way?

For some reason, Naomi's mood swung, and she felt the uncontrollable urge to just sit in a corner and cry. If only she had come here sooner. If she could carry twelve babies, then she could carry twenty-four. Why couldn't she have been impregnated with all of them? She could have saved them from that terrible fate, those tubes had doomed them too. It was so unfair! Why couldn't have the Queen just waited and given her all the babies, instead of half?

The door to the elevator open a few minutes later, and she made her way back to the hall with the bowl. Dully she noticed that the lights were all on illuminating her path.

When she finally made it back to the hall, she mechanically made her way over to the bowl. Turning a knob she watched as the golden magma energy cascaded into the bowl. She waited until it was full before shutting off the flow.

Numbly she bent forward and began to drink the energy. It was still hot but it was defiantly getting easier. Not that she cared. Why did she have it easy when that poor little girl suffered like that?

When she had completely drained the bowl, she walked over to her room. Opening the door she stepped inside and made her way to the center of the room.

She thought of that little girl, its naked little body curled up helplessly, floating in that stupid tube.

Unclasping her skirt she let it fall away from her body. She stood naked in the middle of the room, everything on display, just like that little girl. Silently she walked over to the bed and clambered under the covers. She began to cry, her racking sobs muffled by one of the many pillows.

She lay there crying into that pillow, completely absorbed by her hormone-fueled grief for the girl. Not even the feeling of her babies feeding was enough to cheer her up. All it did was relax her enough for her to drift into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Logos stared at his wife. Currently, she was monitoring Naomi as the girl journeyed back to her room. They watched as the girl filled the basin and drink all the fresh magma energy from the bowl. When the girl finally entered the room, the hologram screen flickered off, and they both stood in silence.

"Maya." He said kindly, trying to get her attention.

"Don't talk to me!" She snapped in a fiery rage.

"Why? Because you're unwilling to face the truth?"

Maya glared at him, her menacing blue eyes boring into him. Ignoring his statement she fired back with. "Why did you tell her!?"

"Because she deserved to know the truth." He said calmly. "She needed to understand what she's going through."

"She's a human! She doesn't deserve anything!"

"Maybe. But she's a human, you impregnated with the last of us." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Maya, do you have any idea what you did to her?"

"Of course." She said dismissively. "I made her the perfect carrier for the babies. She should be down on her knees…."

Quickly he cut her off. "Exactly. You took an unconscious person and mutilated her. Then without asking you made her pregnant, and condemned her to two years of discomfort and the agonizing pain of birthing twelve babies."

"She was practically dead!" She raged. "I saved her life!"

"And you made her pregnant without her permission." He countered.

"She was a fertile female!" She fired back. "When I have a useful tool in front of me I use it!

"Naomi's not a tool."

"She's a human," Maya said icily. "She should be honored to carry the babies. Its a privileged far above anything she deserves."

"And yet you entrusted her with the very survival of our race." He said calmly. "You're lucky she's willing to be their mother. Because if she wasn't, you would have just placed our most valued treasures in danger."

He watched as the color drained from her face and she looked towards the entrance of the throne room.

"She wouldn't dare," Maya said in increasing fury.

Quickly he intervened before she could do anything stupid. "Your lucky that it was her and not anyone else." He said soothingly. "She's going to be the perfect mother to them."

"And how would you know? She's a human."

"I can tell by the way she smiles at them, and affectionately strokes her belly, that she's already formed a bond with them." With a small smile he began to pull on the final strings "And as I'm sure you've noticed by now she's changing. She already has the beginnings of queen's markings."

Maya made an angry grunt of annoyance. "It's ridiculous, that a human has such markings."

"We won't be here for much longer Maya. Each of us has a role to play, in restoring the world."

Slowly he bent down and wrapped himself around her, encasing her with his body. He could feel her pulsating warmth as she let herself be absorbed in his presences. It had been too long since they had last embraced. The feeling of her protectively nestled within him was something that he had gone too long without. Gently he nuzzled his nose against her, affectionate showing how much he loved her.

Calmly he whispered. "Let her play her role, Maya. It's her job to nurture and care for those babies, so trust her to do it."

He could hear the queen's voice crack as she struggled to not let her emotions burst out of her. "I can't. I've tried so many times to get them to grow, and every time it fails. I can't let that happen again."

"It won't." He said soothingly.

"H-How do you know?" She choked.

"Because this time, their in the womb that you created; and they have a mother who's willing to nurture them." Calmly he whispered. "Maya. The best you can do is guide Naomi through her pregnancy for as long as you can. She's going to need your guidance to get through this successfully, so show her what to do."

With another affectionate nuzzle he said. "Don't worry Maya, she'll bring our little dreams, into the world."

* * *

 **Authors note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 8 of The Jian Bird.

I would like to inform everybody that instead of uploading a chapter every week I'm going to have to make this a biweekly thing. This is due to summer break being over, and forcing me to devote less time to writing and towards other things.

Don't worry I am not walking away from this story. I know the pain of reading an ongoing story just to have the author not finish it. This is a story that I am determined to finish, so I am defiantly not going to just drop it part way through.

Thank you for understanding.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: The Cave


	9. Chapter 9: The Cave

Ichigo stood in the shower letting the warm water run over her body. She liked it when she had a chance to take a morning shower. It was a refreshing experience, and she always felt prettier afterward.

Reaching up she grabbed the soap and began to wash herself. She hummed happily as she watched the soap suds form all over her body, washing away any impurities. This really was fun.

She smiled happily as her thoughts drifted to yesterday's day at the lake. It had been so much fun to splash around in the water, and playing ball with the rest of the squad. What made it even more enticing was that she had gotten to see Goro's bare chest. She blushed profusely at the memory of it. He had been so strong and handsome, and his deep brown eyes had seemed to sparkle beneath his glasses. Needless to say, she couldn't wait until she got a chance to return to the lake.

It had defiantly been a good thing for everybody, and she felt that some members of the squad and formed closer bonds. Although Zorome and Miku were constantly fighting, she didn't think that they ever really meant the nasty things they said to one another. And in a bizarre sort of way, it almost seemed like a sort of bonding. So although the had a very vehement screaming match yesterday, she doubted that it would negatively affect them.

Hiro and Zero Two, well those two were inseparable. She got the feeling that those two were pushing their partnership farther than any parasite team had ever pushed. Not only did they spend every waking moment together, but they actually slept together as well. Ichigo knew how small that bed was, and the only way two people would be able to fit on it would be to lie completely intertwined.

She wondered what it would be like to lay with someone like that. To feel their warm body pressed against you and their breath tickle your skin. Goro was there his arms wrapped snuggly around her. She could feel his muscles beneath his night skirt and his warm breath against her skin. She turned to look him in his gorgeous brown eyes.

Slowly their mouths got closer and closer, his lips so tantalizingly close. Mouths mushed together as they emulated what Zero Two and Hiro had done. The taste of him was…. Was…

She was dragged out of her daydream by one of her prescient cramps. It had been happening for a few days now, and although they didn't hurt per say, they were distracting. She was about to try and recapture her daydream when she thought she felt something emerge from between her legs. Looking down she saw that her legs had small red drops of blood on them and that the water beneath her had a slight pinkish tinge to it. She stood there and watched as the blood continued to drip from her lower lips. The sight of her monthly bleeding had ignited a question that had laid dormant in her mind for the last few days. What did this bleeding signify? If Papa was to be believed it was from the stress of piloting a FRANXX. However, she had read a tidbit of information that stated otherwise and made slightly more sense. If that information was correct then one of her eggs was in the process of being flushed from her body.

Reaching down she stroked herself and deposited some of the blood onto her finger. Bringing it up to her eyes she examined it, debating over what it really meant. Her genitals bled like this for a few days every month, at almost the exact same time; which made the explanation about her losing an egg each month seem more plausible.

Papa's explanation just seemed to be off somehow. It had been serval days since she piloted her FRANXX; so why was she bleeding now and not then? If he was correct, then why did it have to come from down there? Why couldn't it come from anywhere else except her genitals?

It also didn't help that over the last few days she had seen things that really made her doubt Papa's teachings. The adventure into the city had really been a wake-up call for her. For all her life she looked up to the adults and wanted to be just like them. Now, however, she wasn't so sure. Being practically a robot that lived in a pod didn't sound like her idea of living. She couldn't imagine living a life where she couldn't run around and interact with her squad mates.

She sighed. It was all so confusing, and it was hard to make a definitive decision. The squad was no help either since they were just as confused as her. What was she supposed to do at a time like this? Why was life so difficult?

With a grunt of annoyance, she cupped her hands and splashed water on herself to clean the blood away. Shutting off the water, she grabbed the towel and began to dry herself off. As she did they idea struck her to visit the library. It was the only place in Mistilteinn were she could hope to find the answers she was looking for.

It took her only a few minutes to dress and comb her hair. Clipping in her green hair clip she began to make her way towards the door, only to stop as she noticed a tiny trail of red droplets on the white tiled floor. The trail led from the shower to her locker and then stopped. Lifting her skirt and peering into her underwear told her she was still bleeding.

She swore and made her way over to some toilet paper. She placed a piece inside and pulled up her underwear again. Grabbing a few more sheets she went to clean up the mess she'd made.

Argh! Now she really wanted an answer to why she was bleeding. She had been dealing with similar situations for years, but now that she was actually paying attention to it, she wanted to know its purpose. Hopefully, it was something special. Because if it really was just from piloting a FRANXX then that would be stupid as hell. She was pretty sure boys didn't have to deal with such problems since the caretakers hadn't mentioned them having to deal with anything. If she had to go through such annoyances then it better be some sort of superpower or something.

When she had finally finished cleaning up after herself she made her way towards the library.

When she got there however she noticed that someone else was already hard at work. Ikuno was sitting at one of the tables. Books were spread out all across its surface as she read and took notes from each of them. She seemed to be fiercely engrossed in her studies, as her pencil dashed across her notebook. Without missing a beat, she reached over and grabbed a water bottle. Taking a long swig, she gulped down as much water as she could before setting down again.

It was then that she finally noticed Ichigo.

"G-Good morning Ichigo," Ikuno said in surprise. "I didn't see you come in."

"I'm not surprised." She replied with a laugh. "You seem quite preoccupied."

"Not really. I'm just taking notes." Ikuno said. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Ichigo debated for a moment on whether to tell her or not. Questioning Papa was tantamount to treason, so she was hesitant to voice her thoughts. She shook herself mentally. These were her squad mates and her friends; they deserved to know the truth.

"I'm having my monthly bleeding." She said calmly. "I would like to know what it means."

Ikuno stared at her for a long moment, almost as if debating something.

Quickly she realized that it was now or never. She either needed to commit to her decision to question Papa or back off. With a gulp she said. "I believe it holds more significance than just piloting a FRANXX."

Ikuno stared at her for another few moments before speaking. "I believe you may be right." She said calmly. "If what I've studied is true, then every person in this building may be capable of something far beyond anything we've ever been told."

Ichigo was intrigued. Did Ikuno really know some of the answers? Hurriedly she walked over to her and sat down in the chair opposite from Ikuno. "So what is it that we're capable of?"

Ikuno grabbed her notebook and began flipping through its pages. "Ichigo, all I can tell you is what I think and suspect. None of this may be true."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I think it's worth investigating." She said. "All I know is that there's more to this then what we've been told."

"Well then, here's what I've got." Ikuno swallowed hard. Plainly she was just as nervous as she was. "If what I've read is accurate; then we girls carry a cell called an egg in our bodies." Ikuno pointed to a drawing she had made. "Supposedly, if we don't get it fertilized within a certain period of time, then we lose it so that our bodies can prepare for the next month."

Ichigo leaned forward and stared at the drawing. "Egg." She muttered. She'd read that word before but she was having a hard time placing it.

She looked up. "So what do we use this egg for?"

Ikuno paused for another moment before answering. "Well, if we get it fertilized by a male, then it becomes this baby thing." She pointed to another drawing.

What looked like a drawing of chubby little human sat on the page. It had a big round head, and pudgy little arms and legs. Ichigo frowned. It defiantly was a strange creature. She guessed it could have been a human, but she had never seen anything like it before.

"So… W-Why would we need to make this thing." She asked confused. Being told that she had cells inside her that could make things like that was weird.

"I'm not entirely sure," Ikuno said. "Supposedly that's how we create new people, but I don't really understand it."

Ichigo thought for another moment. "So….. You said we have to get our eggs fertilized. What does that mean?"

"Well, males create these cell things called sperm." She said pointing to drawing of weird oval thing with a tail. "Supposedly if one of those meets with our egg, then their union starts forming that baby thing."

Ichigo rubbed her forehead, trying to process all this information. These concepts were defiantly boggling her mind. "So.. Um… How would we get our egg fertilized if it's inside us? That seems like it could be a problem."

"I have a theory on that," Ikuno said.

Quickly she began sifting through her pile of books, until she found one titled, "Human Anatomy."

Pulling it out she flipped through the pages until she came to a picture of a cross-section of the male and female body. Ikuno pointed with her finger at the female. "If this book is right then the hole in our genitals is called a." Ikuno twisted her head to read better.

Ichigo did her a favor and read it for her. "A v-vagina." Ichigo scratched her head in confusion. "Why's it called that."

Ikuno looked at her and said, a little annoyed. "How would I know, I didn't make any of this up." Ikuno shook her head and turned back to the book. "Anyway, this vagina thing seems to lead into this complex system here; which I don't know nearly enough about to try and explain."

Ikuno then pointed to the males genitals. "Supposedly this is called a penis. You see how it erects into this stick like thing?"

"Yeah." She said, bending over to get a better look.

"Doesn't it look like it would fit perfectly in the vagina thing?" Ikuno said, gesturing between the two with a finger.

"Yeah… I guess your right." She said slowly.

The thought of having something like that plunged inside her was kind of scary. It would probably hurt to take part of another person inside her. She also wasn't sure if she trusted anybody enough to let them do that. She shook her head. That was an unworthy thought. She trusted Goro completely. He would be careful with her. He would make sure it didn't hurt her.

She sat there and thought of Goro, imagining him easing himself into her. She felt a stirring in her core; like some sort of blizzard primal urge. Her body was arousing as it prepared to accept her partner. Goro was there, and she felt the lips of her vagina guiding him in, as he filled her with his prescience. She could feel him. As he gently…. AHHH STOP IT! STOP IT! She shook herself, her cheeks flushing a bright red.

Pinching herself hard under the table, she brought her attention back to Ikuno. "So how did you discover all this?" She said trying to cover her momentary daydream.

"I spend most of my time reading," Ikuno said simply.

Ichigo laughed. "I can tell. I didn't know any of this was here."

"It wasn't. At least, not until about a week ago" Ikuno said looking around nervously.

A dark feeling of foreboding washed over her. "So, these books weren't here before?"

"No, they weren't," Ikuno said in a whisper. "Somebody put them here recently."

Ichigo stroked her chin thoughtfully. This was an interesting turn of events. It appeared that somebody somewhere was feeding the squad little nuggets of information. She thought back over the last serval days. Something was going on here, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

She looked back at the book and Ikuno's notes. She wondered why Papa had kept them in the dark about this stuff. If males and females had genitals and cells that were designed to make little humans, then why would he not tell them.

"Doesn't it seem odd that all this information almost directly contradicts what Papa told us," Ichigo said, glancing up at Ikuno.

"That's not even the half of it," Ikuno whispered. "You know how the Klaxosaurs are supposed to be mindless beasts?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said quietly. "Although to tell you the truth, I think there might be more to them then what we've been told."

"Well, you wouldn't be wrong. If what I've read is true, their very complex and nuanced creatures."

"There are books on them too!?" Ichigo whispered in surprise.

"Yes," Ikuno said lowering her voice even more. "I found one just this morning."

"Can I take a look?" Ichigo whispered with nervous excitement.

"Yeah, sure its right here."

Ikuno closed a book next to her so that the cover was showing. It read. "The Biology of the Klaxosaurs."

Ichigo reach out to see the book when suddenly an alarm went off. Ichigo was so startled that she almost pissed herself from surprise.

Suddenly she gasped in fear. They had been found out! They were about to be punished for doubting Papa's teachings!

The alarm sounded again. A few seconds later Nana's voice sounded over the loudspeakers. "Members of Squad 13. Please suit up and assemble in the briefing room. We have an urgent mission that requires your immediate attention. I repeat. Please suit up and assemble in the briefing room. We have an urgent mission that requires your immediate attention."

Suddenly she heard a crashing sound as somebody jumped off their bunk to the floor. Feet were moving upstairs as people scrambled to get on clothes.

Quickly she and Ikuno scrabbled to put away the books. "Ikuno." She said as they worked. "Let's keep this under wraps for now. I don't think we should tell the squad until we know more."

Ikuno dashed a few more books back to their shelves. "I just keep doing my thing. I'll let you handle everyone else."

"Thanks." She said with joking sarcasm.

When they had finished the made their way towards the lobby to wait for the rest of the squad.

* * *

The pair had fallen asleep facing each other, their faces only centimeters apart. Currently, the crimson horns of Zero Two had slipped under Hiro's hair and were rubbing against his forehead. Their presence was encouraging and accelerating the growth of its mate's pair, which were now two little navy blue protrusions. All throughout the night, the close contact of their horns had accelerated the visible signs of Hiro's transformation.

However as Zero Two unconsciously nurtured her mate towards their apex; their newfound connection was allowing Hiro a glimpse into her past. And the sight that he was currently experiencing scared him to the core.

 _"_ _Your mine Iota!" Screamed the voice of nightmares._

 _He grabbed at her legs trying to pull her towards him so he could ravage her sweet life juices. His hands pulled at her, tearing her suit as he tried to get a more secure hold._

 _She was scrambling to regain control. When she had tried to get away from him, he had tripped her, and she was sprawled across the controls of Strelizia. His hand reached up and yanked her hair, pulling it from its roots as he tried to pin her down._

 _She screamed in pain as she fought desperately to get out of his grip. She kicked and kicked, lashing out as she tried to get him off._

 _His hand closed around a handful of suit, his long nails lacerating its surface catching the clips of her bra._

 _"_ _Give it to me! Your mine Iota!" He screamed again._

 _She twisted and her suit tore causing it to loosen around her. They fought and her suit took the damage, sections of suit tearing away in the struggle._

 _Her blood as on fire. Her horns and eyes ablaze with fiery hatred. She clawed at him trying to destroy this disgusting person._

 _His cruel face was curled in a snarl as he launched himself again and again at her neck, trying to suck her life energies. His greasy yellow hair was flying about wildly as he struggled to pin her down_

 _"_ _Let go of me!" She screamed, fighting desperately._

 _"_ _Never!" He said with a strained snarl._

 _He kneed her hard in the crotch, trying to disable her._

 _That was his final mistake. He had put all his force into trying to disable her from between her legs._

 _It hurt like hell, but Zero Two was far more resilient than that. She used her legs to grab him, causing him to lose his balance. They tumbled and rolled, crashing onto Strelizia's cockpit floor._

 _This time the tides had changed. Zero Two was on top and had all the advantages. She started off by driving her knee hard between his legs. He screamed in agony as she continued to pound away._

 _At the speed of light, she changed tactics. She slammed her fist into his jaw. Once. Twice. Thrice. CRACK! His jaw snapped in two and he screamed in unimaginable pain._

 _She wailed on him punching, kneeing, anything she could do to take him out._

 _"_ _I'm going to kill you Alpha!" She screamed._

 _Mercilessly she launched forward baring her fangs and sinking them deep into his shoulder. She bit down and tore a chunk out of him. The taste of steely blood filled her mouth, mixed with the rancid taste of his flesh. Spitting it out she returned to her attack, as she watched him scream in agony._

 _Suddenly she felt herself being dragged back, as the rest of the Nines dragged her away from him. She kicked and screamed, trying to get them to let go. Alpha wasn't dead yet! He needed to die!_

"Darling. Darling wake up. Darling, please wake up."

Her horns broke contact with his and the memory dissipated in a flash.

His eyes flew open, and he awoke with a gasp. His mind was on fire. Zero Two! Somebody was hurting her! He needed to move!

"Darling, what's wrong?" Said a concerned voice.

Still panting, her eyes came into focus on two beautiful green orbs. He gave an audible sigh. Zero Two was fine. It was just a nightmare.

Her eyes were full of concern, and he felt her reach down and gently grasp his hands.

Gently he reached up and wrapped his arms around her. The feeling of her warm body nestled within his hold was comforting. He breathed in the sweet aroma of her hair, letting it fill his nostrils with its presence. Her horns were gently digging into his throat, and he could feel his nerves pulsating in ecstasy.

Although this position was helping to calm his racing heart, it apparently was frightening Zero Two. His sudden shift from pure fear, to a loving embrace, plainly had her confused.

"Darling are you okay?" She asked in increasing concern.

"Yeah." He mumbled. "It wasn't real, its fine."

"What wasn't real?" She said in alarm. "Darling, what's going on?"

"Nothing." He replied hoping she would drop the subject.

"It wasn't nothing, you were crying out in your sleep." She counter, separating herself from him so she could look him in the eye. "Darling please tell me what's going on."

"It was just a bad dream about you." He said. The last thing he wanted to say was that he had watched her be beaten an tortured by some disgusting creature.

Zero Two prompted him to continue, and he realized that she was going to hound him until he gave a more descriptive answer. He sighed. Zero Two was the most perfect person in the world, but if she had one fault it was that she was extremely overprotective. She was going to dig and smash her way through to anything that dared to threaten what she deemed as valuable.

With another sigh he relented. Better to just get it over with and move on.

"Somebody in my dream was trying to hurt you and there was nothing I could do about it." He said quickly. "I don't know who he was but he looked like he was trying to beat you or something. I'm sorry Zero Two, it was just a dream. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."

A feeling of foreboding washed over him as he watched that angelic face twist in remembrance.

"Darling, did this boy have greasy yellow hair?" She asked curiously.

"Y-Yes, he did." He said in horror. "H-How did you know?"

"Well if you somehow dreamed what I think you dreamed, then that actually happened." She said calmly.

Ice flooded his stomach. No. No. No. No! This can't be real! Who would hurt such a precious person! It has to be fake! It can't be real! Who would have dared hurt his precious Zero Two?

"Zero Two, please tell me your lying." He choked.

"I'm not." She said grinning.

Tears were beginning to form and he felt like he was going to retch. Who had dared hurt her? Who had dared to harm such an angelic person? He was going to find this… this… this monster! And when he did he was going to make him pay ten times over what he had done to her!

"Darling." She said calmingly. "Don't be to anger, that event was defiantly a very satisfying one."

He gapped at her in astonishment. "How was that in anyway satisfying? He hurt you. H-He tried to dominate you. H-How?"

Zero Two thought for a moment. "I'll admit he got a few hits in." She said smiling. "But you should have seen what I did to him. The feeling of his face breaking beneath my fist was so liberating. He had been abusing me for months, and to finally feel his jaw crack…" Her face took on a very wistfully expression. "Aside from when I'm with you, I've never got more satisfaction out of one event."

Hiro felt like he was going to explode. "If I ever see this animal of a person, I swear I'm going to… to…." He was so angry that he couldn't even form a sentence.

Zero Two smiled her sweet and radiant smile. "Its okay, I don't think we'll ever really see him. He and the Nine's are Papa's elite squad so they are constantly busy."

Hiro tried to stay angry, but her smile was working its magic. He sighed. "Come here." He said pulling her into a massive hug.

She giggled happily and he felt her wrap her arms around him. They lay there hugging, feeling the warmth of each others bodies, and empowered by each others presence.

He breathed in a deep breath of her tantalizing smell, letting it fill his nostrils, and pass into his body. She really was such an amazing person. Everything about her was just perfect.

Letting go just a little bit, he reached up and gently began to play with her hair. It was so soft and smooth that it felt like silk as it ran through his fingers.

"Darling, what do you want to do when the war is over?" She asked suddenly.

"Live with you I guess." He said after a moment. "I don't know, I never really thought about it." Then after another pause. "How bout you? What do you want to do?"

"The same I guess." She sighed. "I kind of wish that we could make something."

"Make something? Like what." He asked curiously. For some reason, what she had just said had struck a chord within him, but he couldn't quite place why.

"I don't know." She wistfully." Something that we could leave behind. Something that would prove to everyone that we existed and were partners."

He thought for a moment. "We could draw or write something, I guess."

"Yeah, but anyone can do that." She said a little dejectedly.

"Speak for yourself." He said amused. "I can't do any of those things. At least not very well."

"Oh come on of course you can." She countered energetically.

He gave a disbelieving snort. "I can not. Have you seen any of my drawings?"

"No, I haven't?" She said in astonishment, sounding like she had just realized this fact.

"Probably a good thing." He muttered.

"Now you have to show me. Remind me after breakfast, I want to see them."

"Yeah… Sure…" He said noncommittally. Mentally he made a note to never give her such a reminder.

After another few minutes of tender hugging, they both sat up. The morning sun was sparkling through the window, illuminating the room with a gentle glow. With a massive yawn, he stretched, raising his arms high above his head before finally lowering them again.

Momentarily he glanced over at Zero Two, "Well I guess we should probably get ready to go down for breakfast."

He was in the process of getting up when he felt Zero Two grab his arm. Her grip was almost painful, and he could tell that something was obliviously wrong.

"Darling, look at me." She commanded in a shaky voice.

Baffled he looked her in the eye. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer but kept staring at him. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and her face was contorting into one of pain and dismay.

Startled he reached out and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Zero Two whats wrong."

"No. No. No. No. No. This can't be happening!" She muttered in dismay.

"What can't be happening!?" He said with increasing fear. "Zero Two whats wrong."

"Y-Your eyes….They've…"

"They've what? Zero Two what's wrong!?" He was doing his best to stay calm, but seeing Zero Two break down like this was heart-wrenching.

She was so distraught that she couldn't even form a sentence.

Gently he reached down and held her soft tender hands. "Come on Zero Two, show me what you think is wrong."

With the utmost care, he tenderly stood her up, and they walked over to the mirror. Letting go of her hands he looked into the mirror and gazed at what was bothering her.

It took him a few moments to spot the source of her concern. But when he finally did, he was baffled that such a same simple thing, had caused her so much grief. His eyes, which had once been green were now a deep shade of sapphire blue. What was interesting was that this new shade almost seemed to make his eyes sparkle. It kind of reminded him of the way Zero Two's eyes seemed to shift and glisten, like beautifully gems.

Along with his change in eye color, he could see two faint, but clearly visible sapphire blue marks under his eyes. They were the exact same shape and size as Zero Two's, but inside of being a crimson red, they were a sapphire blue.

He sighed. This is what Zero Two was worried about. A change in eye color. Okay yes admittedly, his change in eye color was a little unnerving, but it wasn't the end of the world. It didn't hurt that aside from the color his eyes had they same complexities and intricacies as Zero Two's.

With a smile, he turned to where he had left Zero Two. She wasn't there. Icy flooded his stomach, as the fear of her running away from him tortured his insides.

Spinning rapidly he searched the room. His eyes flew about the room, but she was gone. No. No. No. NO! NO! Don't tell me she left!

He searched one more time and found her. She was huddled in a corner, her knees drawn up to shield her face. She stared at him until his eyes found hers and she looked away.

Seeing her like this broke his heart. This feeble attempt to shield herself from him was almost childlike. What had happened to her to make her like this? Who had conditioned her to make her feel like her uniqueness was something to be ashamed of?

Gently he walked over to her and placed his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "Zero Two, why are my eyes changing colors such a negative thing for you?"

"B-Because it makes you like me!" She sobbed. "I'm a monster! I don't want you to go through what I had to go through. You need to stay human!"

"Zero Two." He said calmly. "Just because your unique doesn't make you a monster."

"Yes, it does! I'm an animal!" She interrupted.

He felt her about to try and flee away from him, but he stopped her.

"Zero Two look at me." He commanded gently. It was essential that he get her over this hurdle. She needed to stop thinking of herself as a monster. It was damaging, and it was wrong. The sooner she realized this, the happier she'd be.

Slowly Zero Two glanced up, her tear filled eyes practically trembling with dismay.

"Zero Two your uniqueness is an essential element of who you are. Its what makes you the most beautiful person in the universe." He paused to take a breath before continuing. "I can't speak to what you had to deal with in the past. But to me, your horns, eyes, teeth, and everything else are what make you truly magnificent. So please, don't be frightened or ashamed of them, because the whole world deserves to see your beauty."

Gently he tucked her hair behind her ears so that he could see her beautiful face. She still looked upset, but there seemed to be less despair in her face. Leaning forward his kissed her forehead, before gently pulling her into a hug.

"I would do anything to be more like you Zero Two." He whispered in her ear. "You and I are bonded together. If that means I have to adopt every one of your features, in order to be with you, then so be it."

He heard her sob, but past that she made no reply.

Mentally he sighed. It was clear that she still didn't like this situation, but maybe in time, she could be convinced.

They hugged for a few more minutes until an alarm blared across the house. Its presence was like a knife rending apart his tender moment with the one he loved. Nana's voice sounded over the loudspeaker commanding them to suit up and proceed to the briefing room.

"Darling." Zero Two whispered.

"Yes?" He replied kindly.

"Don't ever leave me." She whispered, her voice cracking.

He held out his pinky finger. "As long as you promise not to leave me."

With a small chuckle that was almost a sob, she hooked her finger around his. Smiling he leaned forward and sealed his vows with a kiss.

A few moments later they both rose in unison and dressed in their uniforms. By the time they were done, both were flushed scarlet as they caught each other sneaking covert glances at each other's mostly naked bodies.

With shy smiles, they grasped each other's hands and made their way down to the changing rooms.

* * *

Ichigo stood in front of her FRANXX with her partner Goro. The whole squad was doing final checkups before they had to depart on this critical mission.

Her memory flashed back to the briefing.

 _"_ _We're sorry to call you here so early, but this mission is of dire importance," Nana said apologetically when they had taken their seats. "If all goes well you should be back in a couple hours."_

 _Futoshi complained loudly about missing breakfast, and some other members of the squad agreed with him._

 _Nana smiled. "We'll compensate you guys by preparing a feast for your return."_

 _Hachi cleared his throat loudly, and Nana seemed to remember her purpose. "Anyway… Papa has decreed this mission to be done immediately." Ichigo for some reason found the way she said "Papa" odd. "Your mission is to attack a Klaxosaur nest, and destroy the pods within."_

 _"_ _Excuse me." Kokoro interrupted timidly. "But won't a Klaxosaur attack us if we start destroying the pods?"_

 _"_ _Normally yes," Hachi answered. "But this time we're in luck, and the Klaxosaur that nurtures this nest is not at home."_

 _For some reason, Ichigo felt uneasy. Why are we attacking things that needed to be nurtured? If the Klaxosaurs were the mindless beast that Papa had said they were; why would they be nurturing something? Nurturing something involved caring for it, feeding it, and most likely defending it. None of those behaviors matched anything Papa had said._

 _"_ _Any questions?" Nana asked after a moment._

 _Ichigo held her tongue on her unease and asked a standard question. "Do we have any sub-objectives, or are the pods the only objective?"_

 _"_ _Only the pods," Hachi answered crisply. "Those are Papa's orders." The way he said "Papa", sounded off too._

 _It was odd. Why were the plantation administrators saying Papa's name with such contempt?_

 _She didn't have time to ponder it though._

 _"_ _Well if that's everything, then good luck Squad 13."_

Goro gently squeezed her hand. Gratefully she returned the pressure. Delving into some nest, and destroying things that needed nurturing had her nerves on edge.

"Relax." He whispered.

"I am relaxed." She countered.

He smiled. "I can tell." He said amused.

She took a deep breath. It's mission time. Time to be squad leader.

In a loud commanding voice, she announced. "Everyone board your FRANXX's."

Stepping forward she and Goro boarded Delphinium and took their respective seats. She deployed the controls for Goro and waited for him.

Suddenly she moaned in pleasure as Goro's presences rushed up from between her legs all the way up her body. Her vagina was throbbing and it almost felt like Goro was inside her, filling her with his presence. This was stronger than anything she had felt. She could almost feel Goro in her mind, and could almost hear the intentions of his movements.

"Ichigo," Goro said with a pleasurable gasp. "Are you feeling this?"

"Y-Yeah." She replied shakily. "Do you have any idea what this could be?"

"I'm not sure, but our sync rates are higher than usually; maybe that has something to do with it."

"Maybe." She agreed as Delphinium reached out and grabbed up her weapons.

Curiously she glanced over at Strelizia and was forced to do a double take. Something was odd about Strelizia. It almost looked like it was glowing with a faint golden light. Just then she became conscious of the fact that Strelizia almost seemed to be pulsating with waves of fiery heat.

"You alright over there?" She called over.

"Never better." She heard Zero Two respond.

The sound of Nana's voice abruptly cut off their conversation. "Alright everybody call in."

"Delphinium ready," Goro called.

"Strelizia ready," Hiro called.

"Argentea is waiting on the rest of you." Both Miku and Zorome shouted.

Silence. A few more moments. Silence.

What is taking them so long? Ichigo thought to herself.

"Chlorophytum is ready," Ikuno said, sounding a little annoyed.

More silence.

"You guys alright over there?" Goro called to Genista.

A few more moments of silence.

"S-Sorry, we were just having some difficulties," Kokoro said weakly. "Don't worry, we're fine now."

In a louder voice, Futoshi called, sounding a little dejected. "We're ready."

"Very good," Hachi said over the comms. "Squad 13, proceed to the objective."

"Alright squad, move out," Ichigo called.

The hanger doors opened and the squad glided out of the hanger and away from the plantation.

They had been traveling for a few minutes when Delphinium noticed that Strelizia looked almost restless. Ichigo remembered that Strelizia could fly, and she guessed correctly that trudging along with the pace of the squad was probably agonizing.

"Strelizia, why don't you guys scout ahead on wait for us at the nest," Delphinium called over.

"Really!" Replied Zero Two's excited voice.

"Just wait for us there."

Without another word Strelizia shot off into the air, leaving the entire squad far behind.

"They really are an amazing pair," Ichigo whispered to Goro.

"They really are something that's for sure." He agreed.

"Why'd you let them go on ahead?" Zorome said indignantly.

Ikuno gave him his answer. "Look how fast they're going. If you could go that fast would you enjoy trudging along with the rest of us?"

"Yeah but still, why is their FRANXX so powerful?" Zorome asked annoyed.

"Hey!" Miku shouted. "What are you saying that I'm not good enough for you!"

"I never said that! Why do you constantly have to be a pain in the ass!?" Zorome fired back.

"Pain in the ass! Why you little…. You're the one piloting me! Maybe it's you who keep us from flying!"

"I am not!" Zorome countered. "Here I'll show you!"

"Wait what are you doing!" Miku screeched.

And to the squad's disbelief, Argentea began to lift off into the air. Argentea began to gain altitude as she shot forward into the air. They had done it! They just discovered the secret to flying!

Well, at least for a few seconds. Just as quickly as she started, Argentea crashed painfully back to Earth. Scorched red earth flew up into the air as they landed with a "thud", only a few meters away.

"You son of a…" Miku screeched. "What did you do that for! You could have killed me!"

"Why did you stop!?" Zorome countered. "If you had just paid attention, then we could have been flying!"

"Paid attention!" Miku raged. "You didn't give me any warning!"

"Alright that's enough, get back in formation!" Ichigo called. In a softer voice, she asked. "Miku your not hurt are you?"

"Surprisingly," Miku replied annoyed.

"Good, we have a mission to do so no more fighting. Got it."

"Yes." They both said in unison.

A little while later they arrived at the mouth of a massive cave, it's dark foreboding depths almost beckoning the squad to enter. The squad stood waiting as each of them finished a final check.

"What do you think is down there?" Kokoro asked to nobody in particular.

"Don't you remember." Zorome scoffed. "Nana said there are pods down there."

"Yeah, but isn't that kind of vague," Futoshi commented.

Goro interrupted the conversation before it went too far. "Alright everybody lets focus on our objective. Strelizia, Argentea you guys take point. Chlorophytum watch our backs. Genista stay with me."

"Roger." The squad replied.

Ichigo chuckled to herself. It was good to hear Zero Two's voice among the rest of the squad.

In the back of her mind, she felt Goro turn the comms to initiate mode. Curiously she wondered what he had to say.

"Ichigo." He said calmly. "The place between your legs is bleeding. A-Are you okay?"

Silently she swore. Curse this stupid suit for being white. Why do I have to be bleeding now of all times?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry too much about it." She said slightly annoyed at herself.

She wondered how bad it looked, and cursed herself for not remembering to put some kind of barrier to soak up the blood.

"Are you sure your okay? You weren't hit by anything were you?" He asked still concerned.

"Trust me I'm fine. This bleeding thing is just something that happens to us girls, its natural."

Mentally she realized that this was the first time that she had every bled in front of Goro. They had been practicing FRANXX piloting together for serval years, and not once had her monthly bleeding alined with one of those training sessions. This fact defiantly pointed towards her bleeding meaning that she was losing one of her eggs and not bleeding due to stress.

For a moment she thought about explaining what she knew to Goro but decided against it. She didn't know enough herself, let alone enough to explain this to someone else.

Goro calming energies flowed into her as he did his best to be helpful. "Well if you sure. Just, please promise me you'll tell me if you get hurt, alright?"

She smiled and sent her own wave of gratitude. "Thanks, Goro. I promise that I'll tell you I'm hurt if anything happens to me."

"Is everything alright over there?" Mitsuru asked slightly irritated over the comms.

Shaking herself she responded. "Yeah sorry, we were just having a quick conversation."

Clearing her throat she gave a command. "Alright squad, let's move out."

The cave was dark and menacing, as it burrowed deeper and deeper into the Earth. Even the FRANXXs' lights weren't enough to drive back the darkness. The walls of the tunnel were cracked and scorched from the Klaxosaur's efforts in making itself a nest. The ground beneath Delphinium's feet shifted and collapsed as she made her way forward.

Nervously she looked around. She got the distinct impression that this was the last place they should be right now.

"Relax." She heard Goro, whisper to her.

Gently she felt him send a warm comforting waving of compassion through their connection. Its warmth spread from between her legs, and throughout her whole body. Almost blissfully she swam in its presence letting it wash over her.

"Thanks, Goro." She said affectionally.

He chuckled. "You can thank me when we're done. This place is downright creepy."

She sighed. He just had to go and break their perfect little moment.

"Ichigo!" She heard Hiro shout from up ahead. "You better come and take a look at this."

Looking up she saw Strelizia and Argentea silhouetted by a glowing light at the end of the tunnel. Something was up there, and whatever it was she knew that it wouldn't be good.

Gesturing for Chlorophytum and Genista to follow she picked her way forward. Each of her steps sounded like an avalanche as it broke the silence of the abyss around her.

A few moments later she caught up with Strelizia and saw the source of Hiro concern. The pods that they had been sent here to destroy were clustered in a massive cave just ahead. Each of them glowed gently, casting a golden light across the chamber.

"Alright, squad lets move." She whispered over the comms

Carefully the squad began to inch their way forward, every one of them straining their senses for any sign of danger. The air around them was so tense that you could slice it with a knife.

Ichigo was desperately trying to not hold her breath, but her nerves were just to on edge. Something about this place was off, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

She was now within striking distance of the pods. All she would have to do is jab her spears forward, and one of the pods would be destroyed. Just one tiny thrust and the target would be eliminated.

"What are these things?" Hiro asked.

There was silence for a few moments.

"I think these are eggs, containing a Klaxosaur's young," Ikuno said hesitantly.

"What do you mean by young?" Zero Two asked, almost curiously.

"Well, let's go out on a limb for a moment. We were once all children but now our bodies are bigger and more mature."

"So basically what your saying is that these are the children of a Klaxosaur," Hiro said finishing her thought.

"Wait! Klaxosaurs can have children!" Zorome and Miku both burst out.

"I don't know," Ikuno said hesitantly. "And even if they can I don't know that these are children. I mean look. When we were kids we could move about, and interact with one another. These things on the other hand still look like their growing."

"What do you mean by growing?" Kokoro asked.

"Are you saying that there are things younger, than children?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yes, I think there are," Ikuno answered. "I mean look at these things, they look like a very small version of a Klaxosaur. What's to say that they won't grow into one."

Zero Two piped up, and Ichigo could hear the interest in her voice. "So.. If Klaxosaurs can have young; whats to say that the rest of us can't?"

Ichigo crossed her fingers and hoped that Ikuno wouldn't answer that. Ikuno and herself didn't know enough to answer the questions that the rest of the squad would be sure to ask.

"We can discuss this later," Ichigo said interrupting any further response. "For now we need to decide what to do with these pods."

Just then a garbled communication came from the plantation. "Sq..Ua…d Th…irT…ee..ng…..E….t …. o…t .. O…..f T…..e..R..e!"

"Delphinium to Plantation 13, your breaking up. Please repeat."

There was a static sound, as the Plantation failed to respond.

"I think we should return to the plantation," Kokoro said nervously.

"What about the mission?" Zorome interjected.

"I don't know," Hiro said. "I think we should just leave these pods alone."

"Yeah, but wouldn't Papa be angry with us if we failed to complete the mission." Zorome countered.

Suddenly Genista raised its massive cannon up to one of the pods.

"Well, let's just get this over with so we can get back to the plantation," Futoshi stated.

In horror, Ichigo watched as the cannon was about to fire. "Wait! Don't….."

To her surprise, Genista collapsed and the cannon smashed to the ground.

"What are you doing Futoshi!" Kokoro yelled. "You were about to make me kill these children."

"But Papa said that we have to destroy them." Futoshi countered. "We can't just ignore Papa's orders."

The comms erupted with chatter as everybody tried to voice their opinions at once. Ichigo was having a difficult time restoring order, and she simply couldn't get everybody to calm down.

Suddenly, an enraged scream echoed from far down the tunnel. The scream was filled with unbridled rage, but the most palpable emotion was fear.

Ice flooded Ichigo's stomach as she frantically looked around. Goro was equally afraid, and she could feel his heart beating.

"We need to move now!" She yelled. "Come on everybody lets move!"

Another scream rent the air, but before she could do more than turn it was already too late. The Klaxosaur dashed out of the cave colossal fangs bared, dripping with some kind of poison. It dashed at Genista who was still exposed, from its pilots disconnecting. Ichigo watched in horror as the Klaxosaur sank its fangs deep into Genista's head, attempting to destroy the thing that had threatened its eggs.

Ichigo heard the screams of Futoshi and Kokoro, as one felt the damage that had been done to her body as a FRANXX and another….. No! Don't tell me he's dead!

She and Strelizia were the first to react. Both of them flew at the Klaxosaur, weapons surging with magma energy, to avenge their comrades. The Klaxosaur only just noticed them in time and managed to release itself and dodge out of the way.

Quickly they both took a defensive position in front of Genista, shielding her from any more harm. The Klaxosaur screamed a challenge, its cry filled with unbridled rage. It changed forward but was forced to dodge to the side as a hail of magma bullets crashed into where it would have been.

"You guys take Genista and go!" Hiro shouted. "I'll hold it off!"

"You can't possibly do this alone!" Goro shouted back.

"I won't be, I have Zero Two!" He yelled back. "Don't worry we'll be right behind you!"

Ichigo realized that speed was their only option right now.

"Mitsuru, Zorome, help me carry Genista." She shouted.

"Roger." The both responded.

Quickly she disengaged her weapons and dashed over to Genista. Picking up her legs she waited for Argentea and Chlorophytum to grab an arm. When they each had a grip, they began to move as fast as they could towards the tunnel.

* * *

Strelizia dashed forwards, mega lance raised to strike at the Klaxosaur. But before they could get there the Klaxosaur fired a massive beam of energy, and Hiro was forced to jerk the controls to the side, in order to avoid being hit.

Hiro could feel Zero Two all-round him, and he could feel her presence pulsating through him, invigorating him to protect the one he loved. Nevertheless, he had to make sure his princess was safe.

"Are you okay Zero Two!" He yelled.

"I'm fine Darling! Let's just delay this thing long enough so we can get out of here!"

As one they flew at the Klaxosaur, desperate to try and end this fight. The Klaxosaur dodge out of the way, only just managing to avoid a killing blow.

Hiro felt Zero Two's presence tighten around his groin as they dodged the Klaxosaur's counter-attack. Mentally he gritted his teeth. Strelizia was best out in the open were her incredible power and speed weren't restricted by space.

The Klaxosaur exploited his momentary lapses in concentration and lunged at Strelizia. Desperately he dodged and luckily managed to skim the Klaxosaur with the tip of the lance. It screamed in pain and fired another deadly beam. Strelizia dodge behind the eggs avoiding, that deadly shot.

Just then Goro's voice came over the comms. "Hiro we're almost at the entrance! You said you'd be right behind us!"

Hiro jerked the controls and they flew towards the tunnel. "Coming!" He shouted.

He and Zero Two screamed down the tunnel, the squad at the entrance of the tunnel only seconds ahead. With blinding speed they burst from the tunnel and into the air, escaping the confines of the cave.

"Collapse the tunnel!" Ichigo shouted.

There was a colossal crash as the squad collapsed the tunnel entrance momentarily sealing away the Klaxosaur.

"Come in Squad 13!" He heard Hachi shout. "Squad 13 report!"

"We read you, Hachi," Goro answered. "We are in a dire situation! Genista as sustained critical damage and we have lost contact with Futoshi and Kokoro!"

Hiro turned and looked down at Genista. Her whole face was disfigured, and he could see the holes from where the fangs had punctured the cockpit. A fluorescent blue substance coated the damage, infecting the whole area around it. Icy flooded his stomach. No! Please tell me they aren't dead!

"Return to the plantation," Hachi called. "We'll figure out what we can do for Futoshi and Kokoro when you get here."

Hiro breathed a slight sigh. Hopefully, that meant there was something that could be done to save Genista's pilots. Even though he was worried for his squadmates, he couldn't help but notice that Hachi had used Futoshi and Kokoro's names, instead of their code numbers. He wondered why Hachi had done that, but the sound of Goro's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Hiro, Zero Two, can you guys stay up there and scan for incoming Klaxosaurs?"

"Got it." He replied.

Carefully he took a deep breath focusing his attention on Zero Two's presence. He was scared, and he could sense Zero Two's discomfort. They had just gotten out of a deadly engagement, and they were just now finally computing that possibly two of their teammates were dead.

"Come on Darling, let's see what we can find." She said calmly.

"Y-Yeah."

They boosted up high in the air, scanning for any incoming Klaxosaurs. The squad and the plantation were in a massive valley that carved its way through the Earth as far as the eye could see. Looking down, he spotted the tiny dots of the squad far below.

He sighed and looked around. Far, far in the distance, he saw an explosion.

"What was that?" He said aloud.

"What was what? Zero Two asked.

"There was an explosion far off to our left."

"Really? Do you want to go check it out?"

He sighed. "No… We'ed better stay with the rest of the squad."

They flew for a few more minutes, watching as the squad trekked it's way back to the plantation. The body of Genista suspended between them as they hauled its broken body. He sighed sadly and looked away.

"It'll be alright, Darling." Zero Two said softly.

"..… I hope so." He said halfheartedly.

A few minutes later the squad arrived back at the plantation and Ichigo's voice broke the silence.

"Hiro, get down here we need your help lifting Genista."

"Be right there." He responded.

Landing, he grabbed one of Genista's legs, while Delphinium held the other.

"On three," Goro called. "One. Two. Three!"

Hiro engaged Streliza's thrusters, and the squad slowly began to lift Genista into the hanger.

"Steady… Steady.." He heard Goro call.

When they were fully in the hanger Goro gave his final orders. "Alright, lets gently set her down."

Hiro strained at the controls, doing his best to gently set Genista down without causing any more harm to its pilots.

"And touch down," Goro shouted. "Alright lets dock, and check on Futoshi and Kokoro."

Quickly and carefully the squad docked their FRANXX's.

Hiro and Zero Two disconnected, as they listened to the Streliza power down around them. They turned and looked at each other, each of them gazing into each other's eyes. Hiro looked at her beautiful green eyes, just watching as they shifted and moved. As his mind proceeded the events that they had just endured he began to cry. Tears of sadness, misery, and relief cascaded down his face. Crawling forward he hugged her too him relieved that she was still alive. Gently he felt her arms wrap around him.

"T-That could have been you." He mumbled, burying his face in her neck.

"Y-You s-stole, m-my line." She choked.

Gently he ran his fingers through her silky pink hair.

"Y-Your not hurt are you?" He whispered.

"N-No. I'm okay."

* * *

Mitsuru disconnected from Ikuno in seconds. Without waiting for his body to readjust he punched the cockpit door control and dashed over to the snail-like door.

"Come on. Come on!" He said through gritted teeth. Kokoro could be hurt. Kokoro could be dead!

The cockpit door finally slid open, and he dashed out onto the dock. As he ran towards the stairs he spotted Genista on the floor, those two massive gaping holes in the side of her head. His stomach knotted itself even tighter at the sight of it.

"Oh, Kokoro please be okay." He pleaded to himself.

He practically leaped the last landing and dashed over to Genista's head. It was an impossible task to climb but he did it anyway. Reaching up he grabbed the nearest crevice and Genista's shoulder and pulled himself up. His muscles ached from the effort but he didn't care. Quickly and carefully he dashed over to the cockpit release pin. With a tremendous effort, he pulled and managed to get it to disengage. Then with a colossal push, that took every once of his strength he twisted and heard the whole faceplate hiss as it disengaged.

Scrabbling he dashed over to the door and forced it open. Light cascaded through the door, and he spotted Kokoro sprawled on the floor.

"Kokoro!" He screamed.

Dashing over to her he cradled her in his arms. Tears were cascading down his face, as he held her limp, lifeless body.

"No… No please, you have to wake up. Please. Please wake up." He mumbled. Gently he shook her and watched as her lifeless body shook limply in his arm. "No. Kokoro you have to wake up! Please. Please wake up!"

One of his tears fell on her lips, as he gently tucked her beautiful hair behind her ears.

"P-Please, wake up." He pleaded. "I don't know if I can go on without you."

She was dead. He burst into tears, his terrible sobs echoing off the cockpit walls. Kokoro was dead. Why!? Why couldn't it have been him? He hugged her lifeless body to him and sobbed.

Just then he heard a cough and felt the body clutched in his arms give a slight spasm. Slowly and almost not daring to breathe he separated himself and gazed at her frozen face.

Suddenly her eye's flew open, and she began coughing, the life-saving air flying into her lungs. Overjoyed he let the tears fall freely down his face, as he cradled her in his arms.

After a few agonizing seconds, she croaked in a hoarse voice. "M-Mitsuru."

He smiled. "I'm here." He whispered.

"I-I knew you would." She rasped with a slight smile.

Gently he stroked her cheek. "You alright?"

"M-My whole body feels like one giant ache, but I think I'll be alright." She said hoarsely.

He smiled. "Come on let's get you up."

Her face changed to one of fear and concern. "Mitsuru. Where's Futoshi."

Startled he realized that in his haste to see if Kokoro was okay he had completely forgotten about Futoshi. Just then he began aware of a faint wheezing sound. Frantically he looked up, his eyes scanning the cockpit for any sign of Futoshi.

"Oh, no." He whispered in horror. He felt like somebody had just poured a freezing bucket ice into his stomach.

"What! What happened!"

Quickly Kokoro sat up and when she saw Futoshi she let out a bloodcurdling screamed.

Futoshi was lying against the cockpit wall red blood splattered everywhere. Through one side of his chest, there was a massive wound where the Klaxosaur's fang had stabbed him. The entire wound was covered in a thick fluorescent blue substance, that seemed to have started to fester inside him. Blood was leaking from his mouth, and his whole body was shaking in an attempt to keep him alive. The worst part about it was his eyes. Futoshi stared at him his eyes trembling in fear and confusion.

"Futoshi…" He whispered in horror.

By now the rest of the squad had arrived at Genista and he could hear the voices of Nana and Hachi.

"Futoshi!" Kokoro scream, scrambling up and dashing over to him.

Mitsuru ran over to the cockpit door and poked his head out. Ikuno was already halfway to them, and everyone else wasn't far behind.

"Guy get it here!" He shouted. "Futoshi's been hurt!"

The entire squad instantly reacted and scrambled to hurry their ascent of Genista.

Ikuno was the first to make it to the cockpit.

"Where is he?" She asked hurriedly.

"Over there." He said pointing.

"It'll be alright," Kokoro said, her voice trembling as she tried to comfort him. "I-I promise. It'll be alright."

"K…Kok-koro." Futoshi choked.

A few moments later the rest of the squad arrived, accompanied by Nana and Hachi. Every one of them gave gasps and shouts of surprise and horror. Dully he noted that this was the first time he had ever seen such a drastic expression on Nana and Hachi's faces. Quickly, however, the took command of the situation.

"Everybody help us get him out of here," Nana shouted. "He needs immediate medical attention."

Hachi stroud over to the door and yelled down at someone on the ground. "Dr. Franxx we have a situation! Futoshi has been corrupted, what should we do!?"

"Bring him here, I need to assess the situation." A half mechanical sounding voice said back.

"Yes, sir!" Hachi shouted.

Before the squad could ask any questions Hachi turned and started giving orders. "Everybody we need to get him out of here."

Quickly Mitsuru dashed over to the rest of the squad and assisted as they lifted Futoshi's immense weight into the air so that they could haul him out.

By far the hardest part was lowering Futoshi to ground, from what seemed to be the colossal height of Genista's shoulder. It took serval long minutes and very careful handling, but eventually, they managed to get him to the hangar floor.

Mitsuru's gaze locked with Futoshi's and he could practically feel his squadmate's fear and pain as he watched those scared eyes tremble.

Before the squad could even begin to ask questions or try to console Futoshi, Dr. Franxx walked over and began to examine him. The squad stood frozen in silence, everyone one hoping for something that would relieve their fears as they watched the doctor work.

The doctor began to mumble under his breath, but Mitsuru only managed to catch some of the last few sentences. "Can't heal this here, already too far along. Going to have to hope the Garden has the facilities." He heard the doctor give a long sigh. "The only option, unfortunately."

Standing up the doctor turn to Hachi. "Set course for the Garden." He commanded.

"Yes, sir," Hachi said before turning to leave.

"I-Is Futoshi going to be alright?" Kokoro asked, her voice shaking.

There was a long pause before the doctor answered. "I don't know."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 9 of The Jian Bird.

I apologize for the delay, unfortunately, life got in the way and it forced me to devote less of my time to writing. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long to make.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: Discoveries


	10. Chapter 10: Discoveries

**Author's Note:** A certain part of this chapter contains a scene that is sexual in nature. If you are uncomfortable with such descriptions then avoid the part that contains such action. Thanks for reading.

* * *

( _Serval days later_ )

Dr. Franxx stood over Futoshi, observing the wounded boy as he slept. The Klaxosaur's poison had festered rapidly in the boy's wound and now was spreading all across his chest.

"At this rate, his whole body will be infected." Dr. Franxx muttered.

The worst part about it is that he had no idea what to do. Very few victims ever came back alive after they were attacked, and even then most of them died within hours. Futoshi, however, was still alive, and apart from the poison spreading, he seemed to be okay.

Seeing Futoshi like this had him utterly confused. He had set course for the Garden to make it look like Futoshi could be saved to Squad 13. However, he had fully expected for the boy to die which would mean he would have an excuse to turn away. Futoshi, however, was still alive, and now they had to continue to the Garden to see if the boy could be healed.

Dr. Franxx grimaced in frustration. The Garden would put them directly in Papa's sights, and one misstep could lead to disaster. Everything right now was in a very fragile state and it wouldn't take very much for it to all collapse. He needed to find a way to pull off this visit to the Garden what wouldn't jeopardize the plan or his daughter's safety. But how was he supposed to do it? He would not let his daughter fall back into the hands of Papa, and that meant that he had to keep Squad 13, and most importantly Hiro alive.

He sighed. There was no way he could plan his way through this. The best option he had was to keep APE off Plantation 13, and then get in and get out of the Garden fast. Mentally he snarled. The lack of a plan; was driving him nuts, and he hated not being able to plan and maneuver around obstacles. How could he assure that everything he had been working towards didn't come crashing down around him?

As he thought, he became aware that Futoshi was beginning to whimper and he could see the sheets shifting as the boy moved.

"No. No please don't eat me." Futoshi whimpered. "No please I don't want to…."

Curiously ignoring the whimpering boy, he pulled back the sheets and gazed at the wound. Immediately a sickly sweet smelling smell attacked what remained of his nose, making him grimace in disgust. He didn't have very long to process it however because the sight of the wound made him gasp. A dark blue lump pulsated on where the wound had been, beating in time with what he presumed was the boy's heartbeat.

"What the hell.." He whispered. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Thick sticky veins were prominent around the edges and they looked like they dived into the boy's chest. Something strange was going on with this growth, but he had no idea what to do about it. Never in his life had he seen something like this, and its presence was baffling.

Suddenly the boy spasmed and let out a loud whimper. Some fluorescent blue substance shot through Futoshi's veins emanating from the wound in his chest. He watched as the substance ran all over the boy's body, making him look like some bizarre glowing spider web. As the substance flowed through Futoshi's veins, he noted that it was the same color as the accents on the Klaxosaurs.

Completely baffled, he watched as the substance slowly began to fade, returning Futoshi's skin to its usual appearance.

Suddenly the boy began to moan and shake, as something disturbed him in his sleep. He looked at the boy completely dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? Never in his life had he seen anything this extreme.

Abruptly the boy sat up, his eyes flying about the room as he dragged in scared gasps of air.

Quickly he reached a hand out to console the boy. "It alright son, there's no need to be scared."

Futoshi's eyes swung to meet his own, and he was startled to see that they were a bright glowing blue. They almost looked like the queen's eyes, except that they had none of her beauty. He stared at them utterly dumbfounded. How did he have those eyes?

Futoshi gulped and said in a thin raspy voice. "B-But t-the Klaxosaur! I-Its going to eat me!"

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he consoled the boy. "It's alright, there's no Klaxosaur here. Go back to sleep Futoshi, I promise I won't let any Klaxosaur hurt you."

Slowly the boy relaxed, and he watched as Futoshi's eyes slowly returned to their normal color.

"Y-Your sure?" The boy asked hesitantly, still glancing around the room.

"Absolutely." He said gently. "You have my guaranty that no Klaxosaurs will find you here."

All of Futoshi's last remaining strength seemed to dissolve when he heard that, and the boy crashed down back onto the bed. Gently he reached down and grabbed the sheets and draped them back over the boy.

"You get some rest Futoshi." He said with a small smile. "And don't worry u'll be back with your squadmates in no time."

"P-Promise?" The boy asked pathetically.

He nodded. "As soon as we get you to the Garden, we're going to fix you right up. And then you'll get to be back with your friends."

The boy gave a very small nod and then his eyes drooped closed, and the boy fell back into an uneasy sleep.

He sat there and watched the boy for a few minutes, before finally deciding to get up and leave. Carefully he grabbed his cane and stood up, his old knees creaking as he did so.

"Urgh, I really am getting to old." He muttered as he left the room.

The door hissed shut behind him and he glanced around to make sure there were no stray guards wondering around. Turning back to the door he locked it, to keep anybody from entering. The squad was already nervous and restless enough, the last thing he needed was one of them to come and visit Futoshi and see him in his current state. When he was certain that everything was locked up tight, and that nobody was following him, he set off towards the control center. He had a few sensitive things that he needed to talk to the administrators about, and it wouldn't due to be followed.

A few minutes later he walked into the main control center and was greeted by the many lights of holographic displays.

Hachi turned and gave in a salute, and Nana was not too far behind him.

"Sir!" The both said standing at attention.

"Settle down." He said walking forward. "This old geezer is too old to be playing soldier."

"Yes, Sir." They both said relaxing a little bit.

He rolled his eyes. Nana and Hachi felt like they owed him everything, but really he was the one who should be thanking them. Without their help and willingness to go along with his plan, he would have probably long failed. Without them his daughter would probably still be in the hands of Papa, being tortured and abused for the rest of her life. None of what he had accomplished or planned to do would come to fruition without their help.

"So Hachi, hows Papa's little war with the Klaxosaur's going." He asked.

"Slow but with a definite decline in Papa's favor," Hachi said. "Thirty plantations have been destroyed so far, with only moderate losses for the Klaxosaurs."

"Interesting…" He muttered. "But everything can't be going this well where's the hitch."

"Well at the moment there's no major problems," Hachi replied. "The only thing that I can comment on is that this Klaxosaur armada down by the old South America is out of position. They pursued a group of plantations, but now that the plantations are destroyed, they have a long trek to the closest plantation."

Pondering he stroked his metal chin. "Anything else?"

"Not really. The only thing I think is a little odd is that several plantations have suspiciously clear paths to the Gran Crevasse, but I doubt they pose any real threat."

"Hmm… Interesting. How about the Nines. Where are they?"

"That I am not quite sure of," Hachi said, with a slight grimace. "They disappeared off the map a few days ago, and now I can't find them."

He gave a slight grunt of announce at that news. He didn't like not knowing where that squad was, and the fact that they could be anywhere bothered him.

With a slight shake of his head, he returned to their conversation. "Well please keep me informed if you spot anything suspicious; but for now, good work."

"Thank you, Sir," Hachi said nodding in thanks. "Oh and one other thing. I have clearance from the Garden to dock when we arrive, so everything is in order if you need it, Sir."

He sighed. "Very Well. Be sure to keep APE off the plantation as much as possible. Having them search Mistilteinn, would be problematic."

"Of course Sir."

Turning his attention to Nana he waited for her report. "So how is Squad 13 doing?"

"Fine enough at the moment," Nana replied. "They're all concerned for Futoshi, but I think the initial shock is wearing off."

"That's to be expected." He said waving his hand. "How about everything else. Have they discovered any of the information in the library yet?"

"Ikuno seems to be the furthest along compared to everyone else since the library reports that she's in there the most. I also think that Ichigo is interested as well. Before the attack on the nest, she was on her period, and I think that may have sparked her curiosity. How much she knows I am unsure, but unfortunately since the attack on the nest, she seems to be preoccupied with the rest of the squad."

Before Nana continued an instinctive question burst from him. "How are Zero Two and Hiro? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Most of their time is spent together, and they seem to be in good health."

"Do they know any of the information in the library?"

Nana frowned. "I don't think so. I haven't observed them going in there, and I think they are to preoccupied with each other to take the time to read those books." Nana cleared her throat a little nervously. "If I'm being perfectly honesty Sir, I think that's for the best. If Zero Two really is as fertile as you say she is, then theirs a possibility that she may become pregnant before this is all over."

He sighed, Nana had a point. He'd analyzed his daughter's period blood and knew how fertile she really was. Her womb was lined with an extremely thick and extremely potent lining which made it almost impossible for a fertilized egg not to implant.

He tapped his finger on his walking stick. Although since Hiro wasn't, at least for the moment a hybrid maybe he wouldn't be able to fertilize her. If his sperm was still a human then they may not be compatible. But then, what if it was? He'd seen Hiro's eyes, which meant that his body was changing into a hybrid. The only thing that was missing for the moment was horns, but even those could be hidden under Hiro's long bangs. He grimaced. The truth was, that he had no idea what Hiro's condition was. He could very well be able to impregnate Zero Two, and the only thing stopping him was his lack of knowledge.

It was this fact that now had him confused on what to do. He could tell them not to do it and warn them of the consequences that would result from that union. At the same time, however, it would alert them to what their bodies could do, and they may go an try it anyway. On the other hand however if he kept his mouth shut, they may remain oblivious and everything would remain a mystery. The unfortunate part of that plan was that somebody was bound to start talking sooner or later and then they may attempt to perform such an act.

He sighed and decided to focus on problems he could solve. "Anything else?"

"Yes, Sir," Nana said after a pause. "I propose that after Genista is repaired we do a partner shuffle with Mitsuru and Kokoro as a team."

"Make it so." He said with a wave. He instantly saw the sense in that idea, and he had been thinking along similar lines.

"One more thing Sir," Nana said hurriedly. "I have a prototype for the fertility pads you suggested."

"Very good. Where is it?" He said.

Serval days ago, when the squad had returned from the nest he had seen Ichigo's period blood on her suit. Instantly he had known that he had been doing all the girl a disservice. Since a period wasn't something he had to deal with he had forgotten what a mess it was. When Futoshi had been taken care of and when the squad had finally left, he had Nana go to work on designing a fertility pad for the girls.

"Its right here Sir," Nana said picking it up from the workstation next to her and handing it to him.

Carefully he examined it for a few seconds. This should work, but he felt that his daughter was going to need more protection. "This should work for most of the girls." He said "But I want you to make a separate set for Zero Two, and increase the lining. I'm not confident that this can absorb all her blood."

"I'll get started immediately." She replied.

"Alright well if that's everything, then good work you two." He said congratulating them.

"Thank you, Sir." They both said with another salute.

He rolled his eyes and turned to make his way back to his office. Before he left, one of the control consoles started beeping sounded an alarm. Turning back he waited for a report.

"What is it?"

"Its nothing Sir," Hachi commented. "Just that a storm is approaching the plantation from the west."

Hachi tapped the controls for a few seconds. "It looks like the worst of it will be passed by the morning, but it's going to rain for the next few days."

He smiled. Rain was good, it broke the monotony of the dead dry Earth. It was a shame that it didn't make anything grow since the ground was completely devoid of nutrients.

"Well have Mistilteinn mimic the weather outside the plantation, maybe some of the squad will enjoy the rain."

Without waiting for an answer he turned and made his way out.

"Push and pull." He muttered. "Push and pull."

* * *

Ikuno sat in the library her numerous books and notes laid out in front of her. The library's lights filled the room with light, almost as if denying the dark storm that brewed in the night sky far above. Ever since the disastrous attack on the Klaxosaur nest, Ikuno had been more determined than ever to delve deeper into the secrets that the library had to offer. She just knew that the information that was stored in this room was more vital than anything she had ever been taught.

Over the past serval days she had finally come to a basic understanding of why males and females were different, and the reasons for it.

Stretching Ikuno, sat back in her chair to let her eyes take a break from all the reading that she had been doing. Reaching down she stroked her belly and mulled over all the information that was swirling around in her head. She imagined what it would be like to have a baby growing inside of her. If what she had read was accurate then it would probably be uncomfortable. She had seen pictures of what happened to a girls body while they were pregnant and had read some pretty interesting accounts of what it felt like. She imagined her body swelling as a baby grew inside her, and she could almost feel its little legs kicking her as it moved around. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture milking leaking from her breasts in preparation to feed the baby.

She found the whole idea of having a baby to be very satisfying. It felt good to know that she was capable of something more than just fighting Klaxosaurs. Thinking back she remembered everything she could about what it would feel like to have her own baby in her arms. All the accounts she had read had said that it would be an amazing and gratifying experience; and although there were some painful things to deal with, the euphoria of holding something that you created was all worth it.

She sighed. There was only one problem. She needed a boy's sperm in order to create one. It was ridiculous that she needed to find some boy to impregnate her. Over the past serval days, she had read all about it. If she wanted to get her egg fertilized then she was going to need to have a boy deposit himself within her. The only problem with that is that she would need to completely surrender and expose herself while she harvested the cells that she needed.

It was so dumb! Girls already had to do everything, why couldn't she conceive her own child? If she ever got pregnant, she would have to carry the baby for nine months while it grew, then birth it from her body, and finally, she would then have to feed it from her breasts. All boys had to do was enjoy themselves, before depositing their sperm. Why did boys have to contain those cells? Girls already had to do everything except a few spurts, so why couldn't she have contained the cells to impregnate herself? At the very least why couldn't she have another girl impregnate her? Girls were so much cooler than boys. She just simply couldn't understand how the big blocky body of a boy was supposed to be attractive. Girls had such elegant curves, and their bodies had such nuanced complexities to it.

Ikuno shivered in her seat as she thought about it. Everything about a girl was fascinating to her and the very thought of what every girl possessed made her aroused. The way a girl's breasts sat on the body; full and supple just waiting for the cue to produce a life nurturing milk. The way their hips made much an elegant curve, biologically designed to carry life. And finally the most magnificent thing of all. An organ that was so detailed and complex, but at the same time strong and resilient. An organ that could create and nurture life in its womb, to then deliver it into the world.

Girls were just so much more nuanced then boys, and part of her really hated that she would have to go to one and collect a boys sperm if she ever wanted a baby. It wasn't that she hated the boys in the squad. They were, for the most part, nice people, and she didn't dislike having them around. It was just that she found girls to be much more interesting, and if she was ever going to make a baby, she would rather have a girl impregnate her instead of a boy.

She sighed sadly as the rain outside crashed against the ground. If she could have picked anyone to have a child with it would have been Naomi. She was such a sweet person, and everything about her was just perfect. Everything from her beautiful chestnut hair, to her radiant smile. Why did something so pure and beautiful have to go? Of all the people in the world, why did the one person she had ever had feelings for have to go!? Plantation 13 carried millions of useless adults! Why! Why! Why did Naomi have to die!? Why couldn't it have been one of them!? Why couldn't have one of their useless lives been sacrificed, instead of Naomi!?

Ikuno felt like she was going to explode. "Naomi…" She muttered. "I'm so sorry." Tears were beginning to slide down her face. "I'm so sorry... I-If only there was something I could have done to save you, then perhaps you'd still be here."

Forcefully she shook herself and whipped away her tears. Quickly before she could sink back into her sadness she numbed herself with reading more books.

For the longest time, she just thumbed through page after page, barely taking in any of the information.

 _Klaxosaurs are a species of biomechanical organisms, that began attacking the human race for seemingly no reason._

"Yeah, yeah," Ikuno muttered. "Nothing that we didn't already know."

 _Although the history books say that these creatures are savages who's sole purpose is to destroy; I hope my research notes into this topic may prove useful in the future._

Ikuno's curiosity was sparked so she decided to keep reading.

 _Firstly, the misconception that a Klaxosaur's sole purpose is to kill, I believe is wrong. Through careful observation and study, I have concluded that these creatures are actually extremely nuanced and exhibit a high level of intelligence. Although they may not be able to speak, it seems that they possess some sort of highly advanced way of communicating._

 _After my recent reanalysis of my Klaxosaur sample, I have discovered that my previous assumption that Klaxosaurs were biomechanical was partially wrong. It seems that their outer shell that I had once thought of as mechanical is actually more of some kind of super tough malleable skin. I couldn't and still can't decipher the exact composition but its basic structure served its purpose while designing Papa's project. I do however plan on incorporating more of the knowledge I do know into my daughter's design; when she's ready._

Ikuno scratched her head in confusion. Whoever had written this had done it as some kind of journal which made it hard to fully comprehend what they were talking about. Flipping the page she kept reading.

 **Klaxosaur breeding.**

 _I think I finally have a basic understanding of how the Klaxosaurs breed. From what I understand it seems like how they breed is divided into two groups. First are the attack group. This group seems to be by far the most common, and are the ones constantly attacking the plantations. From my analysis of their DNA, it seems that these Klaxosaurs are all female. They, however, seem to have the ability to self-impregnate; which allows them to replicate and attack in large numbers. Whether their offspring are actually birthed/layed or are instead just deployed I am uncertain. It seems however that they are immediately ready for combat regardless. These Klaxosaurs have also been seen being carried into battle by larger Klaxosaurs. Strangely, however, the ones that deploy the attack groups seemed to be delivering more than just one type, so I am unsure of the connection between the carrier and the ones deployed._

Ikuno stared at the words she was reading in amazement as a loud clap of thunder echoed across the night sky. This simple book contained more information about Klaxosaurs then she had ever learned from Papa.

"H-How come we weren't taught any of this?" Ikuno muttered in amazement.

Excited she kept reading.

 _The second group of Klaxosaurs seems to breed in a more traditional way. I once had the privilege to witness two Klaxosaurs mating deep underground. They both seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this activity, and when they were done they gave each other an affectionate nuzzle. I believe this helps point to Klaxosaurs having at least a human level of intelligence; since this group seems to be able to form at least some level of familial bond._

 _I would propose that this group of Klaxosaurs, judging by the couple's genitalia, has both male and female. It also seems that as long as the Klaxosaurs are of this particular group they can mate with any variety or class. My best guess would be that it promotes diversity and allows for unique combinations of Klaxosaur._

 _Something that seems unique to this group is that the offspring are laid in some sort of pods and gathered by their mothers in nests. Although I have never witnessed this myself it also appears that once these Klaxosaurs hatch they are nursed by their mothers. The evidence I have of this is that a squad was able to observe a mother nursing during a planned invasion of a nest. Unfortunately, when this squad returned and inquired about their discovery, they were coincidently taken out. Luckily, however, I was able to save the last pair of pilots, and they are now in my employ._

Ikuno sat back in her chair, her mind thoroughly blown. More information about the Klaxosaurs had been shoved into her head in the past few minutes, then Papa had ever taught her. The truth about humanities enemy was now laid bare. The secrets that their overlord had tried to obscure was now divulged for anybody who was willing to hear.

Ikuno rubbed her face in a vain attempt to get her mind to focus. Facts, thoughts, theories, and realizations were all fly around in her head, making it absolutely impossible to think clearly. Was everything they had ever learned a lie?

She shook her head. She had been right about those pods. Her research into babies had prompted that theory in the cave, but now she had evidence to back up her claim. The squad had invaded a Klaxosaur nest full of growing babies, and they had been this close to destroying them.

She sighed. Futoshi's attempt to destroy the eggs was what had gotten him poisoned; and even though it must be a cruel fate to endure, the Klaxosaur's actions were completely understandable.

"She was just defending her babies." Ikuno whispered sadly.

Ikuno sat in silence for a few minutes, just mulling over the events that had transpired in that cave and the reasons behind them.

"A mother's instincts." She muttered with sad smile.

Silently she rubbed her tired eyes and became aware of just how tired she actually was. Yawning she got up and began to put the books away. After a long night of reading, she needed to get to bed and scrounge at least a few hours of sleep.

The last book slide onto the shelf and she let out a loud sigh. Quietly she shut off the lights and the room was enveloped in darkness. Rain splashed down outside soaking the ground and creating massive puddles. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, far above the plantation, closely echoed by the sound of rolling thunder.

Ikuno stood in the darkness thinking. Where would this all go? It was now obvious that somebody was setting them on a path that diverged from the one that Papa had been shoving them towards their entire life. But where was this path leading? This new path was bound to clash with Papa, so what would happen when it did?

The information that was in this very library couldn't be kept hidden forever. For the moment she was the one who knew the most but this all couldn't remain hidden for much longer. The squad's shock from Futoshi's injury wouldn't last for much longer. Sooner or later somebody would read what she had read, and then what? Ikuno herself didn't know how much longer she could keep her own mouth shut. So what would happen when the whole squad found out?

Ikuno knew that as soon as everyone knew this information, something was going to happen. Would they really be able to fight the Klaxosaurs after knowing what they really were? How could the squad kill something that was only trying to protect itself and its offspring from them?

Ikuno shivered at the next thought. What would happen if one of them got pregnant? Ikuno had been observing the squad enough to know that one of the pairs was bound to at least attempt making a baby. Hiro and Zero Two were prime candidates and would probably be the first ones to try it. And then what. If Zero Two got pregnant the squad wouldn't be able to hide it for long. After a few months, her belly would be too big to hide, and no amount of clothing would hide the fact that new life was growing within her. And what about the rest of the squad. What if all the girls got pregnant? Ikuno herself had found what her body could do to be exciting, so what if the other girls thought the same thing. The only obstacle that was standing in Ikuno's way was that she wanted to find a way that didn't involve a boy, but the other girls would have no such problems. They'd all get curious enough eventually and then they'd all be pregnant. How was this all going to work? How could they keep the desires and knowledge that they had, hidden from the world?

With one final flash of lightning and clap of thunder, the storm began to calm down. But contrary to the weather outside the storm in Ikuno's mind raged ever on.

* * *

Rain splattered down from Mistilteinn's giant dome, mimicking the weather outside the plantation. The rain soaked the ground and created massive puddles, that were perfect to play in. The sky far above them was grey and overcast, but that meant nothing to the pair. They had each other and that's all that mattered. Every member of the squad had their own way of dealing with the stress the felt for Futoshi, and this pair decided to focus on each other, and nothing else.

He dashed through the rain jumping from puddle to puddle. The freezing cold water from his leaps and the rain were freezing him to the bone, but he didn't notice. The one he loved was right on his tail, and she very close to catching him.

"I'm going to catch you, Darling!" She cried.

"Nah! You're to slow! He cried back, laughing.

He leaped to the next puddle its freezing waters soaking his already frozen feet. Leaping again he dashed through the rain, feet landing in puddle after puddle. Behind him he heard the sound of her running feet, splashing in the puddles that he had just cleared. Ducking he dodged a tree branch and then leaped over a fallen log.

As he kept running he saw that up ahead was the lake he had met Zero Two. With a yelp of delight, he flew towards it, leaping over the fallen branch that Zero Two had once placed her undergarments on.

"Darling!" She cried.

Smiling and laughing he turned to greet her and saw her beautiful smiling face. His excitement was so great that he slipped on a patch of slick mud and was sent sprawling. He made an attempt to get up but Zero Two was on top of him.

"Caught you, Darling!" She cried, leaping on top of him.

She landed on his chest, her legs straddling him as her chest heaved from the effort of catching him.

"You play dirty." He pouted, trying to hide the big smile that was creeping across his face.

She brought her face close and rubbed her nose against his, nuzzling him while humming happily.

"Not as dirty as you." She purred. "Hows using puddles and trees fair?"

"Hey at least their already there." He said nuzzling her back. "I just used what resources I had."

"Yeah, but now I'm all wet." She said, her face dangerously close. "I'm so wet that even my undergarment are soaked through, and they're not even a swimsuit."

Her body got closer and closer to his, her firm breasts pressing into him as her desire for closeness increased.

"You may want to have that looked at." He teased. "That could be a problem."

"Ass!" She cried, in mock outrage.

Leaning down, she bit his ear, her sharp teeth digging into him as she applied more and more pressure. Hiro felt a jolt of excitement dash through him as his nose began to pick up the beginnings of the pheromones his mate was releasing.

"Ow!" He complained playfully. "Your mean."

"Darling needs punishment, for saying such humiliating things to me." She mewled.

"Hey, it's your problem, not mine." He giggled.

This time she bit down even harder, her aroused passion pouring into him through her fangs.

"Ow." He complained. "Your not very nice."

She let go off his ear, and hungrily licked the side of his face, tasting his aroused sweat mixed with rainwater.

"You make it to easy." She purred.

"Your too naughty." He replied.

But before she could open her mouth to reply he used his strength, to get out from under her. Thoroughly aroused by her and unaware of what he was doing he mounted her, thrusting his crotch into hers and unconsciously feeling her through their clothes.

Aroused by her love for him, and unconsciously stimulated by their shared biology, she instinctively drew him closer. Her legs wrapping around his waist pulling him deeper into her and allowing him full access. Both of them were becoming more and more aroused, their bodies escalating them towards a climax full of passion and love.

Suddenly Hiro's foot slipped on a patch of mud, and he collapsed on top of her. Hiro's legs had been the only thing supporting them, and when he lost his balance they sprawled sideways into the thick wet mud. Disentangling himself from her, he rolled to the side into the more thick wet mud.

Spitting dirt out of his mouth he sat up, his whole body covered in mud. Soggily he looked around for Zero Two.

He heard her adorable laugh and he found his muddy princess lying in the mud next to him. Clots of mud were tangled in her hair, and her face was covered in big brown smears.

Both of their uniforms were completely soiled and absolutely caked in cold wet mud. Looking at himself, he pitied whoever was going to have to clean his uniform.

Zero Two's laughter was still persisting, and she clutched her sides wheezing, and giggling uncontrollably. Her laughter rolled and fell, dancing through the air and sparkling in the raindrops.

He looked at her, doing his best to not start giggling as well.

"What's so funny?" He asked, with a huge smile.

"I-I d-don't k-know!" She wheezed.

"Y-Your weird." He said giggling.

Serval long minutes later, they both regained control of themselves.

"That was fun." Zero Two said sweetly.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Although I pity whoever has to wash our suits."

Zero Two looked around for a few moments. "The lakes right there, why don't we do them a favor."

He gave the lake a long look. There was no way anybody was going to get him to jump in there. After all the rain they'd had that water was going to be freezing.

"You're crazy!" He countered. "There's no way I'm jumping in that!"

"Oh, come on Darling it'll be fun." She bubbled, sitting up.

"More like it'll be cold." He muttered.

"Not if we do it together." She said, with a playful look on her face.

She began to crawl towards him, an evil grinning sliding across her face.

He began to back away, crawling backwards over the slippery mud.

"Oh no, that not going to work on me." He said with pretend sternness.

Her grin got even wider. "Come on Darling." She whispered seductively. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about getting…"

Suddenly his hand slipped on the mud he had put his weight on, and he was slid down the slick muddy slope. Cold and wet, he made an attempt to get up but Zero Two pounced on him.

"Gotcha!" She yelped excitedly.

He laughed. Zero Two was so adorable when she was being playful, and he couldn't resist indulging in her fun.

"You're to sneaky for your own good." He said raising his hands in a gesture of submission.

"Yeah but I won." She said, bopping him on the nose with a muddy finger.

Playfully he snapped at her hand, his teeth just missing her hand as it dashed out of the way.

"No!" She said, with pretend sternness. "Bad Darling."

She placed her muddy finger on his lips, almost daring him to do it again.

With a playful growl he snapped again, and again just missed her.

"I think Darling needs punishment." She said sternly.

She leaned down and gave him a kiss, but by doing this she took her weight of her knees.

It was the opportunity he needed. Lightning fast he escaped out from under her and flipped her over so she was lying in the mud. She giggled happily and probably expected to be mounted again, but he wasn't going to do the same thing twice. Instead, he spun to her side and scooped her up, his arms under her knees and back. Lifting her up he carefully began to walk his way towards the water.

He inhaled sharply as he wadded thigh-deep into the frozen water. Zero Two squirmed in his arms, and then looked at him with the cutest puppy dog expression.

"You don't have to do this you know." She pleaded pathetically.

"Oh, I think I do." He said triumphantly. Grinning he tossed her into the water.

His victory was short-lived however because as Zero Two crashed into the water, the impact made a colossal splash.

He yelped in surprise as the freezing water splashed onto him. Hurriedly he began to back away, but Zero Two launched out of the water, and tackled him. With a cry of dismay, he felt himself fall backwards into the water. Instantly he was swallowed by its cold icy embrace, and he felt his body seize up in reaction to the cold.

Immediately he scrambled to his feet, and burst from the freezing depths. Frozen he waddled back towards shore.

"That's way to cold!" He burst out.

Next to him Zero Two burst from the water, examining loudly about how cold the water was.

"That wasn't very nice." She said with pretend anger.

"Hey, your the one that wanted to wash off didn't you?" He countered with a grin.

"Yeah, but I was picturing something that involved less throwing." She said shivering.

"I can't always do the same thing can I?" He replied. "You'll get bored."

She grinned. "Come on Darling lets go get changed, before we freeze to death."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah lets, or you'll be melting me with a blow-dryer for the next week."

A few minutes later they arrived back at the house, cold and wet from the torrential downpour outside. Shivering they discarded their shoes by the door, and blissfully stepped into the warm house. Their feet made wet slapping noises as the crossed the lobby and began to make their way up the stairs. As they climbed the stairs Hiro looked behind him and saw that Ichigo and Goro were sitting together in the living room. They seemed to be alone, and Ichigo had a contented smile on her face. Curiously he tried to spot the rest of the squad but none of them seemed to be in the living room. Shrugging he turned back around and kept following Zero Two up the stairs.

Finally, they got to their room, and Zero Two yanked open the door and bounded in. Chuckling he followed her, closing the door behind him. Yawning he bent down and began sorting through a pile of their clothes that they had stashed up here. As he sorted he listened to Zero Two humming a song as she did whatever it was she was doing.

Suddenly his vision went dark, as Zero Two slipped something over his eyes her delighted giggle ringing in his ears. Laughing he straightened up.

"Hey.." He said sweetly. "What are you doing?"

"Shhhh.." She whispered, her warm breath tickling his ear.

A massive wave of pheromones suddenly washed over him, and his blood electrified, as his mate's arousal stimulated his own. His face began to heat up, and he felt a bulge in his pants, as his excitement surged with energy. Gulping he felt Zero Two's delicate hands reach around to his front and stroke his chest as she searched for his uniform's zipper. Finding it she gently pulled on it till the whole thing was unzipped.

"Zero Two.." He whispered.

Ignoring him she gently guided him out of his uniform her perfect hands caressing the muscles of his chest and shoulders as she worked. His shirt discarded on the floor she nuzzled the back of his neck, humming happily as her desire for closeness increased.

"Y-Your all I've ever wanted." She mumbled. "Your everything that I've always dreamed of."

"Zero Two.. I.." He said, a little taken aback by her sudden confession.

"Shhh…" She whispered.

Suddenly another wave of electrifying pheromones washed over him stimulating him to join his mate in arousal. His mouth began to water, and suddenly his mind was filled with images and fantasies of her naked body.

While he was lost in thoughts Zero Two undid her bra and let it fall to the floor. In her aroused state her breasts had swollen to their full size and her nipples were erect. Her breasts tingled with amusement, and with an ever-increasing desire to be touched, caressed, and pressed up against Darling's perfect body.

The member in-between his legs was dying to be released, it strained against his pants almost as if trying to spear its way out into the world. The fantasy of Zero Two's naked body was driving him nuts. She was so beautiful and perfect. He was by far the luckiest man in the world to have a princess as gorgeous as her.

Suddenly he felt Zero Two's arms wrap around him as she pulled him into a tight embrace. Two soft and supple mounds of perfection were being pressed into the muscles of his back, and it took him serval long moments to process the fact that she was pressing her breasts up against him. Zero Two rubbed her breasts against the muscles on his back, and since he was blindfolded he had no choice but to be completely absorbed by her perfection. He felt Zero Two's hot breath against the back of his neck as she continued to rub herself up against him, all the while releasing her tantalizing pheromones.

"Darling…" She breathed into his ear. "I want to see you naked… I want to see everything that's been hidden from me."

"Then what are we still standing here for?" He whispered back smiling.

She giggled. "I like the way you think."

Her hands traced their way down his chest, as she slowly made her way down to his waist. Fumbling for a moment she undid his pants and then slide them down till they fell to his feet. Next, she began to slide his underwear off but he stopped her.

"Wait." He said. "Take the blindfold off first."

Obliging she reached up and undid the blindfold. It fell away and he opened his eyes the world coming back into focus. Her hands began to trace back down towards his waist but again he stopped her. Turning around he took a few moments to appreciate her endless beauty. His eyes hungrily traced out her perfect figure, taking in every facet of her skin.

As another wave of pheromones washed over him he lost whatever remaining restraint he had. Pulling her into a tight hug he kissed her. Their lips smashed together, each of them pouring every ounce of passion and love that they could into each other. Her lips were just so soft and perfect that he couldn't help but pour every ounce of himself into her.

Their passion was so intoxicating that neither of them noticed that the had unconsciously made their way over to the bed until it was too late. Both of them fell onto the bed, their bodies mashing together as they landed.

It was then that they finally broke apart. Both of them were red in the face and panting.

"Y-Your s-so perfect." He panted. Humming happily he buried his face in her neck, just wanting to be as close to her as possible.

"My Darling." She whimpered.

With the utmost passion, he panted kiss after kiss on her neck and jaw, completely showering her with affection and love. As he kissed her as he ground their bodies together, the feeling of her soft breasts against him was so stimulating that he couldn't help but desire more. His member thrust between her legs, seeking to be driven deep inside her so that he could deposit himself within her most sacred place. The only things keeping him from thrusting right up to the hilt was the underwear that they were both still regrettable wearing.

Zero Two's arms tightened almost painfully around him as she hugged him to her with all the passion she could muster. "I f-finally h-have you." She breathed to herself her voice trembling with emotion. "I finally have you."

Slowly he worked his way up to her ear and gently began to nibble at her earlobe. His sharp teeth gently adding pressure as he experimented with pleasuring her. She squirmed beneath him, and he heard her gave a slight moan. Emboldened he stuck his tongue in her ear, trying to see how far it would go.

"Ahh.." She giggled, flinching towards him. "Darling that feels weird…"

Sitting up he looked her, a big stupid smile on his face. "Your weird." He countered giggling.

Leaning forward Zero Two excitedly bit his nose, as an act of playful revenge.

"Your a meany.." He complained giggling.

Next she licked his eye, her saliva making a wet trail on his face.

"Ahh!" He exclaimed laughing. "Help, I'm being attacked!"

She snapped at him against, but he drew his head up just in time. Leaning down he began to kiss her neck again but this time he trailed his way down towards her breasts. Gently he buried his face in her chest and kissed her as her supple breasts cushion his face. Breathing deeply he caught a massive dose of the pheromones leaking from her body and his desire for her grew exponentially more potent.

Above him Zero Two took a deep breath and shivered in excitement as his own pheromones drove her arousment to ever increasing heights. "D-Darling." She moaned.

Slowly and with the lightest touch, he planted gently kisses on her breasts his lips barely grazing her skin. Tenderly he kissed one her nipples, before playing with it with the tip of his tongue. His warm and wet saliva coated her extremely sensitive nipple priming it for more of his ministrations.

Zero Two squirmed and moaned under him, her anticipation building as he teased her. Grinning he looked up at her, and their eyes met as the moment stretched on and on for what seemed like an eternity.

Suddenly and without warning, he blew on her wet nipple cooling it and sending its hypersensitive nerves into overdrive. Zero Two let out a loud moan of pleasure, and her body spasmed as she became more and more aroused by his presence.

Emboldened by her reaction he kissed her nipple again before taking the whole thing into his mouth. Hungrily he sucked on it, the muscles of his cheeks working as if trying to milk something from her breast. He sucked and sucked his mouth gently tugging her nipple stimulating it and sending Zero Two into a spiral of pleasure.

"D-Darling…. T-That feels s-so good." She moaned.

Saying nothing he continued his sucking but decided that her other breast must be really lonely. Reaching up he gently rubbed and squeezed it as well, massaging her second beautiful mound of perfection. As he worked he marveled at how complex and intricate she was. These two perfect mounds of flesh that sat on her chest were so warm and soft, but at the same time were uniform and fit perfectly into his hand.

"Pant." "Pant." "Pant." "Darling. Darling. Darling." Came her labored breathing.

With one final suck and squeeze he released her breasts, and slowly began to kiss his way down her toned belly. The taste of her salty sweat on his lips urging him to touch every nook and cranny of her lightly muscled yet soft belly.

When he got low enough he felt her hip bone beneath her skin, and planted dozens of little kisses along its surface. Instinctually he knowing that this was the frame that would house something truly special and that he should honor its significants.

"Y-Your so incredible." He whispered between kisses.

"Y-Your t-the special one." She said her voice thick with arousal and longing.

Working his way down he stroked his hands along her beautifully toned thighs feeling her perfectly toned muscles, along with her feather soft skin. Slowly he continued down towards her feet paying homage to every inch of her body with tender kisses.

"My Prince." Zero Two breathed to herself.

When he had finally given everyone of her toes a tender kiss, he looked up and licked his lips. He gazed over the landscape of her body, until their eyes met. She stared at him, her emerald eyes filled with passion and love. But behind all her affection was a hunger, and a desire for him to explore the one place he hadn't and had been purposely putting off.

"Darling.." She whispered. "Please…"

Slowly she opened her legs to reveal her most special place hidden only by a thin, pink, and sopping wet piece of cloth. He stared at it hungrily, his mouth watering at the thought of what lay between her legs. Taking a deep breath however, he slowly kiss his way back up towards his prize, teasing her till her anticipation reached a fever pitch. She squirmed and moaned in a futile effort to relieve herself of her mind-numbing desire.

Finally he reached her crotch and slowly slid his hands up to the straps of her underwear. Glacially he plead away her wet underwear completely saturated with her juices. Tossing it aside he looked up to seeing her.

And there it was.

A lotus of unimaginable beauty and complexity sat nestled between her legs, dripping its sweet and succulent nectar. A sweet and moist smell washed over him, and all of his remaining restraint left him. Crawling forward he buried his face between her legs and prepared to taste her sweet nectar. Hungrily he licked the lips of her flower, and tasted the most sweetest and most succulent nectar he had ever tasted. The taste was so complex and unique, perfectly encapsulating the very essence of her being.

Zero Two let out a series of moans, and ran her hands excitedly through his hair barely missing the two small horns that protruded from his forehead.

Hungrily he licked the middle of her flower, feeling and tasting the various complexities it had to offer. As he explored he broke down the various parts that made up her core. A hole that led deeper inside her was the source of the delicious nectar. Some sort of muscle made up that hole and each time it convulsed more and more of that nectar leaked from within her depths. A second much smaller whole lay above that, but what purpose it served was beyond him. Finally, he came to the very tip of her flower, where it was crowned by an engorged little bud. Curious he played with it with the tip of his tongue and the reaction was immediate. Zero Two suddenly sucked in her breath and her legs lightly squeezed his head.

"Whatever you do don't stop." She moaned, panting.

Emboldened he began to lick, suck, and play with that little bud, pleasuring her in whatever way he could. He rolled his tongue across its surface, wrapped his lips around it and sucked, even letting his tongue flick it as fast as it could in order to get her to moan and groan his name.

Zero Two spasmed in pleasure as she felt something building deep within her. Something was growing and soon she knew it would come exploding out of her. More and more fluid was dripping from her, and she didn't know how much longer she could hold back whatever was about to come.

"Darling." She moaned. "Something's coming. I can't stop it."

He had no idea what that meant, but instinctually he knew it was a good thing. In an effort to help her towards this climax of pleasure, he slipped his middle and index fingers inside her. A couple of inches in he felt an engorged lump inside her. Curious he bent his fingers in a beckoning motion, to see what would happen.

The reaction was instant. Zero Two let out a gasp of pleasure, and her legs tighten evermore around as head. Instantly he knew that if he could keep pleasuring her bud and the lump thing, he would give his princess something that would leave her absolutely speechless.

Encouraged he did his best to keep up his devotion to her, his tongue and fingers working simultaneously to make her climax in pleasure.

She spasmed and moaned her whole body completely absorbed in her pleasure. Suddenly her legs tighten vice-like around him, and her hands pulled his head deep into her.

"Darling!" She cried.

She arched her back and pressed herself against him as a liquid squirted from her, splashing all over his face. Completely covered in her wet juices he raised his head, a huge smile on his face. For a few moments, he watched in awe as Zero Two trembled and spasmed her pleasure so intense that she had lost all control over her body. The lotus between her legs pulsated spilling more and more of its sweet nectar, all over the petals of her flower. Hungrily he bent down and lapped away all her sweet juices, cleaning his mate for whatever might come next.

Giggling happily he crawled up next to her and watched her slowly regain control of herself. When she finally was in control enough she turned to look at him, her smile spreading from ear to ear filled with endless amounts of passion and love.

"That was amazing." She said breathlessly.

"You taste amazing." He replied rubbing their noses together.

Her face that was already scarlet flushed even darker.

"T-That's an embarrassing thing to say." She said, looking all over his body.

"Yeah but its true." He said wiggly himself closer. He was so absorbed in trying to get closer to her, that he didn't even notice as his stiffness pressed up against her flower.

"You need to be taught a lesson about what happens when you say stuff like that to me!" She cried happily, feeling her objective.

Before he could say or do anything else, Zero Two crawled on top of him and pinned him to the bed. Aroused he watched as she scooted back till her head was just above his throbbing crotch as it strained to be released from its cloth prison. Zero Two wasted no time and yanked his underwear off and threw it aside. His proud member stood at attention quivering with excitement and defying the world.

He watched in anticipation as Zero Two studied it for a few moments, deciding the best way to tackle the thing that stood before her. After a few more moments of contemplation she planted a kiss at the bottom of his shaft. Slowly and carefully he felt Zero Two's tender lips plant dozens of little kisses all the way up his shaft. He groaned with pleasure as his anticipation reached a fever pitch, his tip leaking a clear fluid in preparation for what was to come.

Finally she reached his leaking tip her mouth salivating at the sight of Darling's big handsome member. Hungrily she licked at the fluid tasting Darling for the first time.

He moaned in pleasure. "Zero Two.."

Embolden Zero Two place his member in her mouth and began to suck on it. Her head bobbed up and down, her hair flying all over the place as she energetically pleasured her mate. She rubbed her tongue around his tip causing him to moan and groan her name as she worked.

"Zero Two… Your so perfect… Your the best person in the world…"

In response to his praise, he felt Zero Two increase her speed, all the facets of her mouth working in overdrive to pleasure him. He began to feel a pressure building in his balls as something inside him cried out to be released. Something primal inside him wanted to leave his body and take root within her. He could no longer contain it anymore. This part of him was hers to transform, hers to grow, and hers to nurture. It belonged to her!

"Zero Two, somethings coming. I can't stop it!" He moaned.

Suddenly he bucked his hips deep into her mouth as he felt something surging towards his tip. The next moment it leapt form him ejaculating in long thick spurts that filled her mouth. Superhuman amounts shot from him, in long ropes of climactic pleasure. Zero Two's mouth was filling fast, and she had no choice but to release his pulsating member. He watched his mind dazed with pleasure as golden ropes of his thick essence were flung from his body and onto her face.

With one final spurt the last of his golden load leaked from his tip and began to drip down his shaft. Still dazed he watched in utter fascination as Zero Two shallowed the mouth full of his essence that she holding. When the last of it had slide down her throat she looked at him her eyes alight with fiery passion. Grinning she used her finger to collect the last of his golden essence and "pop" it into her mouth.

Finally catching his breath again he stared at her as she climbed back up next to him a contented smile on her face.

"Wha'd it taste like." He asked out of morbid curiosity.

She thought for a few seconds, making her adorable thinking face that he loved so much.

"Hmm…. I'd say the best description would be salty…." Leaning forward she kissed him, and he could taste his essence on her lips. "But at the same time it was unique to you, which makes it all the more special."

The sat for a few minutes in silence, both unaware that they were leaking more and more of their bonding pheromones. Unconsciously their bodies began to prepare them again, and he felt his member rising again as his arousal began to escalate.

With a sudden shiver he scooted closer to her, and accidentally slid his member against the flower between her legs. Her folds were already wet with nectar and as he slid himself against her, she deposited it onto him.

Gasping both of them looked into each other's eyes, each reflecting the others level of arousal. His primal mind taking over he suddenly rolled on top of her and moated her, his member pushing against the petals of her flower. The urge to drive himself deep into her depths was becoming overpowering and he didn't know how much longer he could hold on. Zero Two did not help his situation at all and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling herself even closer to him

"Darling." She mewed. "I want to know what will happen if you penetrate me with your member. I want to know what will happen if you shoot your golden essence into me."

The urge to plunge himself deep inside was reaching a fever pitch, and soon he knew that his restraint would be utterly gone. He desperately wanted to spill his golden essence within her and see what her beautiful lotus would do with it.

"Your sure?" He said, fighting to stay in control.

"Yes." She whispered, as she leaked more of her sweet nectar. "I want to know what will happen."

He rubbed his tip in the folds of her lotus until he found its core which led deep into her depths. With one final glance up at her he…..

Suddenly a voice from the stairwell to the third floor broke their precious moment, shattering their passion into a million pieces.

"Hey." Ichigo called up. "Are you guys coming to have lunch or not?"

Immediately his member shriveled back to its usual size becoming flaccid and limp as his head whipped around in fear. With a yelp of surprise Zero Two let go of him and crashed back onto the bed.

We'll be right down!" He called trying not to let the fear of being caught show in his voice. "Zero Two's just lost her headband!"

"Alight, well lunch is ready when you want it." Ichigo called back, before descending the stairs.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief at how close they had been to being caught naked together.

"That was close." He sighed, climbing off her.

"Yeah it was." She said sounding disappointed that they had been interrupted.

Quickly he crossed the room and picked up a pile of fresh uniforms for each of them. Walking back over to the bed he handed her, her clothes before dressing himself.

"Your really handsome, Darling." She said suddenly as he was pulling on his underwear.

Blushing he said. "Not as beautiful as you."

A few moments later her voice broke the sound of shuffling clothes. "Nobodies ever appreciate me like you have.."

Buttoning his pants and utterly confused he turned to give his full attention to her.

"Zero Two I…"

"Darling." She interrupted sounding slightly desperate.

"Yeah?" He asked confused.

"You know how the Doctor said that we're going to the Garden to try and save Futoshi?"

Confused and utterly bewildered as to where this was going he nodded, and signaled her to continue.

"I uhh…. I uhh… I w-want to show you something while w-were there." She said looking at him. "Would… Would you be willing to do that f-for me?"

Reaching out he grasped her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Of course. I'll do anything for you."

She blushed. "T-Thank you."

* * *

Late that night Ichigo sat in the living room thumbing through reports on her communicator. It had been another long agonizing day and she was so disoriented she didn't know what to do. How was she supposed to manage everything at once? And to add to her ever-increasing problems Futoshi was on the verge of dying and there was nothing she could do about it.

She exhaled hard, and threw down her communicator, putting her head in her hands. Why did this have to be so difficult? She was supposed to be squad leader. Shouldn't she have this stuff figured out?

Sighing she thought of Hiro and Zero Two. That was the ideal way to do with stress. It would be so nice to just fool around with her partner instead of agonizing over every little detail and problem.

The sound of steps alerted her to the presence of someone entering the room. Looking up she spotted Ikuno taking the seat across from her.

"Good evening." Ikuno greeted.

"Evening." She grunted back.

"You sound exhausted." Ikuno commented. "Something on your mind?"

"Well lets see." She replied. "We got Futoshi dying beneath our feet. We got Hiro and Zero Two doing who knows what. The squad's confused and in disarray. Papa's been lying to us for our entire lives. The Klaxosaur's aren't what we think they are. And I'm bleeding from between my legs like a wounded animal."

Ikuno smiled at the shit storm she had unleashed. "It sounds like half of that you can't do anything about."

"What do you mean? Somebodies got to deal with it."

Ikuno rolled her eyes. "Look I totally get your concern for Futoshi. We all feel it, and we're all concerned for him. I just tried to visit him but his room is locked, and everything I tried to get around the lock failed."

"Futoshi's room is locked? Since when?" She interrupted.

"I don't know. And the administrators wouldn't give me a straight answer either."

"But…."

"Look Ichigo I don't know why they just won't." Ikuno said cutting her off. "Now lets see about some things that we can get answers to."

Ichigo was about to interrupt her again but Ikuno plowed on.

"Now as for Hiro and Zero Two. Their going to do whatever they want, and there's not much we can do about it. Its best to just leave them alone and not interfere."

"Yeah I know that." Ichigo said realizing she was going to get nowhere with Futoshi, and switching tacks. "I just don't know how to help them or get Zero Two to be friends with everyone else." She said dejectedly.

"You can't." Ikuno answered. "Hiro and Zero Two don't need your help, their perfectly fine on their own. And forcing Zero Two to participate when she's not ready is like trying to make a flower blooms before its ready. She'll blossom on her own; she just needs more time with Hiro." Ikuno looked off into the distance. "There's obviously a reason she's spending so much time with him. I'd be willing to bet that something unthinkable happened to her, and now she's just trying to make up as much time as possible with Hiro."

She looked at Ikuno slightly dumbfounded. That was a very surprising and deep analysis of somebody who was mostly a mystery to everybody.

She sighed and realized that she had vastly overcomplicated matters in her own head. "I've been an idiot haven't I?

"Hey at least you've been doing something." Ikuno said with a smile. "My partner's been to busy with his thump up Kokoro's ass to be of any use."

"He's been doing what!" She interrupted shocked.

Ikuno rolled her eyes and hung her head. "Figure of speech Ichigo. Figure of speech."

"Oh.." She said somewhat lamely. That was kind of obvious now that she thought about it.

"Anyway. I have something for you." Ikuno said reaching into her pocket.

"Really? What is it?" She asked curious.

"A list of books that I've read and thought were useful." Ikuno replied holding it out to her. "I've noticed that you haven't been in the library the last few days, and I figured I'd save you the trouble of a mindless search whenever you get around to it."

Reaching out Ikuno gave the list to her.

"T-Thanks…" She said, gazing at the list. "W-What are these books about?"

"Women, pregnancy, sex, childbirth," Ikuno said yawning. "Oh, and an a very interesting research journal on the Klaxosaurs."

She stared at Ikuno confused. "What are p-pregn..ancy, s-sex, and childbirth?"

"It'd just be better if you read about it instead of having me try to explain it to you. Its quite complicated and I barely understand it myself." Ikuno said leaning back into her couch. "Although If I had to recommend one book, I'd say go with the Klaxosaur research journal. That was quite groundbreaking to say the least."

Ichigo stared at the list for a long moment before slipping it into her pocket. "Thanks." She said smiling.

"Don't mention it." Ikuno replied with a yawn. "I need someone to talk to about this stuff before I burst."

She smiled. "I guess I better get reading."

"I'd wait until tomorrow." Ikuno said, yawning and stretching. "Its getting a little late to start doing research."

"Fair point." She conceded.

Ikuno gave an enormous yawn. "Well I'm off to bed. Need anything before I go?"

"A mind like yours and a whole lot of patience would be nice." She said ruthfully.

Ikuno chuckled and turned to leave. "I afraid there's not much I can do about that. Good night Ichigo."

"Night."

A few minutes later Ichigo got up to go to bed herself. Today had been a long day, and right now she was exhausted. Reaching down she tapped the pocket with the list of books to make sure it was still there. Luckily it was and she continued on. Climbing the stairs she turned towards her room. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and she needed to make sure that she was well rested, so that she could get every scrape she could, out of every book she read.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 10 of The Jian Bird.

I apologize for the delay, I never intended for this to take as long as it did. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a couple weeks.

Stay tuned for chapter 11 of The Jian Bird: The Reason


	11. Chapter 11: The Reason

Papa stood on the command bridge of APE's headquarters observing planet Earth far below him. Its surface was a gorgeous red color, that aligned with the perfect unity that he had created.

This what the world was meant to be. This was the perfect society. Everybody had what they needed. Nobody was poor, hungry, abused, hurt, raped, or discriminated against. Wars, petty feuds, and corruption all of it was gone and dispersed of. Everything was in a perfect order, and to top it all off, everybody lived forever. He had created the perfect utopia where nobody was ever wanting anything or ever needed to hurt someone else to achieve something.

And the best part about it is that all it cost was fertility, which was the source of the whole problem, to begin with. Sexual drive was the source of everything bad that had ever happened to the world and with its disappearance, the world was a sterile environment for everybody. Fertility was just a completely useless hinderance that nobody needed. Birthing a child was just a complete waste of human existence, and literally served no purpose at all. All it did was create monsters that shit, ate, and destroyed the world. And to top it off, why birth a baby when a baby unit could be grown and deployed with no cost except some genetic material.

There literally was no point to it. APE's child program that he had created gave him an endless supply of resources. The child units were perfect for humanity's needs and supplied essential resources. It was simple, units that could protect his society were deployed, and faulty units could be harvested for their fertile energies. Which were an essential element of the obedience formula.

It was the perfect system.

"Papa." One of his subordinates shouted from a workstation below him. "Plantation 39 has just been destroyed by the Klaxosaurs!"

The Klaxosaurs. Such a crude species. Why did they always have to be such a pain in the ass? This species of monsters had been a threat since day one. First, their existence had threatened his perfect formula, and now they were actively trying to destroy it.

It was such barbarity!

He had finally created the perfect system. He had healed the world from the seven years of fire. He had done everything to ensure that no one would ever have to face the consequences he had! So Why! Why! Why! Why did the Klaxosaurs have to come along and try to destroy it! Hadn't there been enough destruction!

"Prepare to fire Apus's magma cannon!" He commanded in his mechanical voice.

"Papa if I may." One of his techs interrupted. "We don't know if it works yet, firing it may overload the system."

"I don't remember asking for your input." He said calmly.

"Yes, Papa. Right away." The tech replied.

"Target the Klaxosaur armada approaching plantations 56, 72, 21, and 43."

A few seconds later the tech shouted. "Target acquired!"

"Begin charging sequence."

Die you bastards. Die.

 _"Look at these animals." A soldier in a black uniform shouted._

 _The freezing rain fell in sheets on a massive wall of people dressed in poor clothing as they shuffled towards the checkpoint that the soldiers had set up to sort them. Up ahead the sound of machine gun fire was echoed only by the sound of screaming children._

 _"Artos, stay close to me," Mommy whispered, squeezing his little hand._

 _"Okay, Mommy." He said nervously._

 _His feet were frozen to the bone from the rain, and he was covered in so much cold wet mud that he was almost unrecognizable. He looked up and saw the black masked soldiers standing above them, guns held in rest position._

 _A young woman screamed in fear as she was dragged out of line._

 _"She's quite pretty." Came a male voice from one of the soldiers. "I'll think I'll take her back with me. What'd you say, young lady, wanna come with us? I'm sure many of my friends would love to meet you."_

 _The girl whimpered in fear as tears of terror streamed down her face._

 _"You really will stick it anywhere won't you?" Came a female voice from another soldier. "If it were me, I won't pollute myself with such filth."_

 _"Alright, both of you that's enough!" Someone commanded. "You put the girl back in line; we're only after the kids."_

 _"Oh come on Commander, we don't have girls at our beck and call like you do. We down in the barracks never get to have any fun." The soldier complained._

 _"I have a wife you know!" The commander raged. "Now put her back in line or you'll be cleaning shit for a week."_

 _Nervously he looked back up at mommy._

 _"Barbarians," Mommy muttered._

 _"Mommy, where are they taking us? He asked shivering._

 _"Stay strong son." She replied her voice shaking._

 _"We'll always be together, right Mommy?" He asked after a few moments._

 _She looked at him, her kind brown eyes sending him all the warmth she could. "I'll away be in here Artos." She said touching the place above his heart. "There, we'll always be together."_

 _Up ahead the sound of machine gun fire was followed by the sound of children screaming for their parents. Shivers of fear ran up his spine; until he remained himself that Mommy would always be with him._

 _Shivering from the cold he looked down at his wet feet as he stepped in puddle after freezing puddle. It was then that he noticed that the water he was stepping in was a muddy blood red._

 _"Mommy, whys the water all red?" He asked curiously._

 _"I don't know." She said, not looking at him._

 _As they passed under the gate suddenly Mommy bent down and looked him in the eye._

 _"Artos you need to stay strong for me!" She said quickly. "Stay strong and they can never hurt you. You got that."_

 _"Mommy you're scaring me." He cried in fear._

 _"I'm sorry Darling!" She said, tears sliding down her face. "Whatever they do to you, remember that I always love you." She pulled him into a hug, clutching her son to her like it was the last thing she would ever do._

 _"Hey!" The soldiers shouted, running towards them._

 _"I love you Artos." She whispered in his ear. "Mommy will always love you, even when I'm gone."_

 _"Mommy!" He cried in fear._

 _The soldiers wretched Mommy away from him and forcibly restrained her as they began to drag her towards a pen full of other adults. He tried to run after her but another soldier grabbed him and held him down._

 _"Mommy! Mommy!" He wailed._

 _"Stay stronger Artos!" She cried as she struggled to get free. "Mommy loves you!"_

 _"Mommy!" He yelled as tears streamed from his eyes._

 _The soldiers opened the door to the pen and threw her inside, and quickly slamming it shut before any of the adults could escape. The screams all around him from children crying for their parents, and parents crying for their children was deafening. It echoed and rang in his ears filling his brain with uncontrollable fear._

 _"I love you Artos!" Mommy screamed clutching the fence, fighting to keep him in view. "Stay strong!"_

 _Soldiers lined up above the pen and pointed their guns down at the adults. "Ready!" One of them shouted._

 _"Mommy!" He wailed struggling to get free from the soldier holding him._

 _"I love you Artos!" Mommy screamed._

 _The commander stroud in front of the pen and glance up at the soldiers holding the guns._

 _"Fire!"_

The sound of one of the techs telling him that the cannon was ready, broke through his memory and brought him back to the present. Shaking himself he gazed out at the red Earth before him.

"Fire." He commanded.

A massive beam of magma energy flew from Apus's horn and charged towards the Klaxosaurs far below. He watched as the beam slammed into the place where he knew the Klaxosaur armada was, destroying it in an instant.

Smiling he looked over at his colossal FRANXX in its construction hanger and admired this piece of human creation. It was the ultimate power, the antithesis of humanity's ingenuity and skill. Once his colossal FRANXX finished construction he could finally wipe out the last of the Klaxosaur's resistance and finally restore peace to his vision.

"Very good." He said approvingly. "Charge again. Target, the Gran Crevasse."

It was time to crack open the entrance to the underground world that the Klaxosaurs called a home. After many long years of running in fear of the forces stationed there. He now had the weapon to bring the Klaxosaur's to their knees.

"Weapon ready Papa."

"Fire." He said decisively.

Silently he stood, waiting for his divine beam to fly its justice straight into the heart of the Klaxosaurs. After several long moments of nothing, he turned to the tech.

"I thought I told you to fire." He said in an icily mechanical voice.

"I did Papa." The tech said sounding scared. "But the magma canon won't fire."

"Try again."

The tech tapped the controls and nothing happened.

"Sir I don't know what's going…"

Suddenly there was a colossal flash as the magma cannon exploded. The targeting horn was sent spinning, plummeting towards Earth's atmosphere, flinging magma energy like some blizzard paintbrush.

Horrified he looked over at his FRANXX and tried to asses the damage. Luckily most of it was still intact, but the head had sustained extensive damage and would take a long time to repair.

"Damage report!" He shouted.

Why!? Why when he was on the cusp of victory did everything have to go wrong!?

"Inconclusive" A tech stated. "We need to send an investigation team to assess the damage."

"Well get on it."

He turned and stared back at the red Earth. Klaxosaurs still polluted the surface of his perfection, and the weapon that would purge them once and for all had just broke.

"You got lucky this time." He muttered darkly. "Enjoy it while you can; because your days are numbered."

* * *

"Maya." Logos said lowering his giant serpentine head to gently nuzzle her. "I think it's time that we invite Naomi out of her room."

"Why?" Maya countered. "She's got everything she needs. She can be pregnant in her room."

He sighed. "Maya we've been over this; you can't keep Naomi trapped in her room. It's not healthy for her or the babies."

"I need her alive and pregnant, not happy."

"No." He said patiently. "You need her on your side, and the best way to do that is to make her happy. She's pregnant and confused and probably really lonely. Maya, you should know more than anybody how important the health of the mother is to a baby."

The queen reflexively placed a hand on her belly and glared at him. "Don't bring what would have been our child into this." The queen snarled.

"She still is Maya." He said softly. "Your anger corrupted and destroyed what she would've been, but our love turned her into an energy that will save the whole planet."

"I'd rather give birth to our daughter than some force that may or may not restore the world."

"Maya by birthing life back into the world, you will create a home for all children."

"I'm infertile! I'm incapable of producing a living offspring!" The queen raged. "Being pregnant with an energy force doesn't make me capable of restoring our race!"

He sighed at how much her angry was dragging up old struggles and patterns.

"You forget that Naomi carries that burden now." He said calmly.

The queen's mouth snapped shut and she glared at him, her anger lurking just below the surface of her icy stare.

He let the silence stretch for serval long minutes before he spoke. "Maya you need to let go of your hatred of the humans."

"How can you say that?" She said struggling to keep her voice calm. "They've taken everything from us. From the civilization that we were once apart of, to the child that was once nestled in my womb. Tell me Logos, how can you ask me to forgive the humans."

He took a deep breath and weighed every one of his word carefully.

"Maya ever since we lost our child and failed to get the eggs to grow, you and I have worked to create a future for our race."

"Yes." She interrupted. "Our race."

He took another deep breath as her close-mindedness began to wear at his patience.

"Maya. Who is the mother of the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens right now?"

"Naomi." She snarled realizing the trap he had caught her in.

"And tell me, who's going to raise the children and teach them about who they are?"

"…"

"Right, Naomi." He answered. Taking another deep breath he maneuvered his final pieces. "Maya if you even give a damn about those babies you'll treat their mother with a least a courteous amount of respect."

"Don't ask me to do this Logos." She whispered. "Humans don't deserve anything from me."

"Naomi's not a human anymore. She a mother of Klaxo-sapiens." He said. "And if you want those babies to survive, you need to teach their mother how to care for them."

"She's a girl." The queen said softly not looking him in the eye. "Her body will birth the babies on its own."

"And then what?" He asked softly. "She's given birth and has twelve babies all completely dependent on her. Now what? She'll eventually figure out what her breasts are for, but now she's got to care for them."

"You don't give girls enough credit," Maya muttered. "She'll figure it out."

"I've never forgotten how strong women are Maya." He answered softly. "But no woman has ever had to birth and deal with twelve babies before. I'm sure you remember how hard having one was."

A tear slid down Maya's face as she stared off into space.

"Fine…" She croaked softly. "I'll do it for the babies…"

"Thank you." He whispered nuzzling her.

She got up. "I need to be alone for awhile. If you need to talk to the girl you may do so. Just… Make sure she feeds them before she comes down here."

He nodded and watched as his wife strode out of the throne room.

* * *

Maya stroud through her castle towards the place where she could be free of Logos and that Naomi girl.

"Logos." She muttered. "I wish you would just shut your mouth sometimes and not be such a pain in the ass."

The doors to an underground transport system opened and she stepped into a colossal loading dock. She stared around at the transports most of them broken and in disrepair from not being used in over a hundred years. Serval of the guiding rails lay crumbled on the floor, their lifeless husks strewn across the floor.

"Rakuen prepare a transport and take me to Dragon's Roost." She shouted to the ceiling.

Far off to her right she heard the whine of one of the still working transports hum to life. Magma energy shoot through a still working rail preparing it to carry her to her destination.

"At least something in this forsaken place listens to me." She muttered walking over and boarding the transport.

The transport gave a jolt and she began to crawl off towards her destination. Irritated she drummed her fingers against the transport handholds.

"Increase speed to maximum." She said her patience becoming dangerously thin.

Instantly the transport jolted to maximum speed and she was forced to grab the railing to keep from falling. Balancing herself she stood tall and let her hair stream behind her as she sped off towards her destination.

A few minutes later the transport hissed to a halt in a small room carved from the surrounding rocks. Crystals embedded in the rocks cast a faint blue glow; illuminating the whole room.

Departing the transport she stroud through the room until she came to a naturally formed shelf carved into the rocks. On it was what she was looking for. Reaching forwards she picked up a small device and placed it on her chest. There was a faint clicking sound as armor began to unfold around her, covering her from head to toe. Tapping a button on her wrist, the helmet retracted itself folding back into the torso. Experimentally she stretched her tentacle and arms just to make sure everything was working.

She looked down and sighed. "Right, forgot it doesn't do that."

She shrugged, it wasn't like anybody was going to see her anyway. Looking up she picked up the sword that was in front of her and drew the blade. The one-handed magma sword glowed a brilliant pulsating gold, blinding her with its radiance. The perfectly straight edges were sharp enough to cut through almost anything and with its radiance illuminating the whole room she had to be careful not to cut herself. Quickly she sheathed the magnificent blade and hung the sword on her hip letting the weight of its presence act like a balm to her anger at her husband.

"Why do you always have to be right Logos." She whispered with a sigh.

Turning she made her way down a long corridor towards a massive cave. Up ahead the sound of something breathing was clearly audible, and as she got closer to its source the sound only became louder and louder.

As she exited the cave she almost ran into who she was looking for. In front of her was a massive klaxo-dragon and as it slept the sound of its breathing echoed off the cavern walls.

Sensing her the dragon began to stir, its great wings hitting the ceiling as it slowly stretched itself awake. After a few more moments of stretching the great dragon stood and turned to her, its great golden eyes staring right at her.

"Hello, Kiyomi." She said kindly.

The dragon purred and gave her an affectionate nuzzle with its massive head, forcing her to catch herself with her tentacle to keep from falling over.

"Easy. Easy." She giggled petting the dragon's snout. "It's good to see you too."

She spent the next few minutes gently petting the dragon's snout, listening as the dragon continue to purr its affection. It wasn't until the dragon nudged the sword at her hip that she broke out of her revery. Slowly the dragon backed off and looked at her with its big golden eyes.

She sighed. "I'm sorry Kiyomi, but I have to do something about the plantations. If I don't then everything we've been working for, all our sacrifices will be worthless."

The great dragon nodded and slowly lower itself so that she could get on. Sighing she stroud forward and used her tentacle to jump onto the dragon's back.

"Alright, let's do this." She muttered. Then in a louder voice, she called. "Open the cave."

The doors to the cave slowly began to retract and outside the lights from thousands of tiny stars were sparkling. The dragon roared and began to dash its way towards the exit. Clearing the cave and with one massive flap of its wings, Kiyomi flew into the air. The air rushed around them as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, the moon's beams sparkling off the surface of the dragon's skin.

Satisfied with their ascent she looked at a display on her arm. "The nearest enemy is Plantation 46." She muttered.

Setting her course she looked up.

"Bring us around to the right!" She said, speaking into Kiyomi's mind.

Instantly the dragon banked hard to the right and they soared off in the direction of their victim.

"Maximum speed Kiyomi!" She ordered.

The dragon tucked its wings to its side and suddenly the wings began to glow bright blue. Maya heard a roar as the wings began to charge with energy. Bracing, she secured herself as best she could to the Kiyomi's back, and waited.

The energy in the dragon's wings burst and they were suddenly sent hurling through the air, leaving only a trail of blue energy particles behind them. Maya clung on flattening herself as best she could against the dragon's back to avoid getting blown off.

They screamed through the night sky for serval very long minutes, mountains and valleys passing beneath them in a blur. Up ahead the faint light of the enemy plantation came into view, as their opponent crawled away from them. As they soared closer and closer searchlights blazed into the night sky desperately searching for even the faintest sign of their quarry.

"Alright Kiyomi, let's finish this." She said. "Let's slow down and blow this thing up."

The great dragon's wings unfolded and she was forced to brace herself as they decelerated to attack speed. Recovering she looked up and began scanning the plantation for the best place to attack first. After a few moments of analysis, her eyes focused on the door to the FRANXX hanger. Striking there first would take out the plantation's ability to retaliate with units of its own.

"Kiyomi target the hangar." She ordered.

Kiyomi let out a roar and a beam of golden energy careened away from them and smashed straight into the side of the plantation, decimating the entire hanger.

"Again!" She ordered.

Another beam of energy slammed into the exposed faculties behind the hanger, stripping away more of the protective layers shielding the adults.

"Once more! Same target!"

The beam smashed through the last remain resistance and she smiled as a hole appeared in the side of the plantation. Her victory was short lived however because right at that moment the plantation's defense guns opened up and bolts of magma energy flew at them.

The dragon roared its defiance as bolt after bolt smashed into it and dissipated harmlessly off its tough skin. Bolts continued to rain down on them, but the dragon just continued to fly as if they weren't there.

"They can't get you can they Kiyomi." She said. "You really are something speci…"

Suddenly a bolt wised by her head, missing her by centimeters and forcing her to press herself as best she could against the dragon's back to avoid more deadly bolts.

Kiyomi let out a cry of fear and frantically began to try and crane its neck around in order to see if she was okay.

"I'm alright!" She called, and with a chuckle, she added. "You know where to target next?"

The dragon nodded and twisted its head around. It let out a roar of fiery hatred and a massive beam smashed into the outer layer of the plantation decimating the defense cannons that were unfortunate enough to be in the path of destruction.

They speed past the plantation soaring over the great glass dome that sat atop the plantation's apex. As Kiyomi banked to make a turn for another attack run, she eyed the dome. After a few seconds of thinking, she decided that was going to be her next target.

"Kiyomi. Target the dome." She commanded.

The dragon twisted its head and she watched as a beam of energy crashed through the dome and set everything within it ablaze. For a few moments, she watched as molten fire engulfed a building causing it to collapse as the fire melted everything inside it.

She sighed. "Come on Kiyomi let's finish this. Fire as many beams as you can, every time we pass over the plantation."

For the next serval minutes, she sat and watched as beam after beam of golden energy scourged away the plantation burning everything it came in contact with. Disinterestedly she watched as the city nestled within the plantation's skeleton burned, the golden buildings engulfed in fire.

Such fragile things. The humans were lucky that for the past hundred years she had been busy trying to grow children instead of conducting a crusade. Although admittedly 's tracking codes were making her job significantly easier. Finding the plantations solely based on their magma signature would have been a major inconvenience.

"He is a very useful man." She muttered. "It was defiantly worth letting him take my DNA to make his daughter, Zero Two."

She thought back to when he had come to her to plead for her help. It had been a most beneficial meeting with the only exception being that if the man had come sooner she could have saved a few more eggs. All the man wanted was to bring down Papa and make a world where his daughter could be safe and happy. Along with getting his daughter the boy that she loved. They had defiantly been favorable terms for her at the time. Inside information on the humans. A man on the inside willing to do anything for her. Not to mention the fact that the girl had a fertile womb for the eggs. Although the latter point was made obsolete by the Naomi girl. Being able to rework that girl for the sole purpose of raising those babies had been an awesome perk and she was confident that the womb that Naomi carried was far more reliable than anything Zero two possessed.

There was a blinding flash as the final beam struck the magma reserve of the plantation and the whole thing exploded in a ball of fire. Kiyomi roared in triumph as they flew over the fiery remains of the last of the plantation scattered over the Earth.

"Good job Kiyomi." She said with a smile. "You did well."

The dragon roared it's thanks and slowly began to climb higher into the night sky. As they climb ed she considered what she wanted to do next. Since she was already above the surface, part of her wanted to visit Plantation 13 and get a look at this Zero Two girl and her lover. She had never actually seen the girl in person, and although she no longer needed the girl's womb she kind of wanted to see the girl.

Bring her arm up she tapped the display until she had a course to Plantation 13. Staring at it she debated whether or not to follow through with her desire.

"Maya!" Logos's voice boomed into her head. "What are you doing outside!?"

"Destroying plantations!" She fired back. "Why, you have a problem!?"

"Yeah, I do have a problem." He said his frustration plain. "Maya we've talked about this. You're not supposed to go outside, you too important."

"Argh!" She exclaimed. "Aren't you with Naomi. Talk to her and leave me alone."

"Naomi's still asleep." He replied. "But don't change the subject. Maya if you die then everything we worked for the last hundred years is worthless."

"It's also worthless if I go into labor before we defeat Papa!" She countered. "I have to do something about these plantations!"

He sighed "Maya you opened the last fresh magma reserve for Naomi and her children. If you die, then all of them will starve to death before they're even ten. Is that the legacy of our people you want to leave behind? Naomi clutching her children to her as they all starve to death?"

Maya felt like Logos had just stabbed her with a hot knife. In her anger, she had neglected to consider the consequences of what would happen if she died.

"Fine, you win." She muttered admitting defeat. "But I'm going to get a look at Dr. Franxx's girl before I come home."

"Maya…..Please, just…." He sighed. "Fine… Just… Just promise me you won't put yourself in any danger. I-I can't do this without you."

"I promise." She replied.

Logos sighed again and backed out of her mind.

Kiyomi was gazing at her as they flew through the air wearing a curious and slightly concerned expression.

She sighed. "Let's go to Plantation 13. I want to see Dr. Franxx's girl."

Gazing back at her display she said. "A little to the west my friend."

* * *

There was a sudden jab in her belly, as one of her babies propelled itself into the walls of her womb. With a gasp of pain, Naomi was jolted awake. Instinctively her hand shot up in an effort to soothe her restless babies.

Drowsily she looked over at the clock on the wall and sighed in exasperation.

"Really guys?" She muttered slightly annoyed. "Three hours is all you give me?"

These last few days, pregnancy had been hard on Naomi, and as a consequence, she was barely getting any sleep. Her pregnancy hormones along with her transforming body were running amuck inside her, which left her feeling restless but at the same time lethargic and sleepy. That wasn't even to mention her babies, which unfortunately were the main cause of her discomfort. Their needs and wants were almost unending and the only way they could communicate with their mother was to make physical contact with her. Which unfortunately meant that Naomi felt everything that her babies did.

Her bond as their mother was a constant duty she had to perform. Every few hours her babies needed to be fed which meant that she was constantly hungry. And even after she had satiated her hunger she had to sit and wait while her babies fed before she could even hope to catch even a moment of sleep. To make it even worse, even if she could manage to fall asleep it wouldn't be long before she was woken up by one of her babies again. Any action they did she was aware of. She could even tell how many of them were resting by counting how many of them were nestled in her walls. It was a constant hassle to deal with, and even though she was dedicated to nurturing them, it was at times like these when she couldn't help but be slightly annoyed.

"I mean come on guys." She continued on. "I know you're only babies, but I still need to sleep as well."

Irritated she counted how many of her babies were resting to see if she could tell what it is they wanted.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven." She said softly. "Hmm…"

She felt a nuzzling sensation against her belly as the twelfth baby nuzzled gently against her. Curious she looked down, to see what her twelfth baby was up to. The little orb was nuzzling against her belly in an attempt to get her attention as the rest of its siblings slept against her walls.

Instantly her irritation dissipated and she reached down to comfort her little baby.

"Your lonely aren't you." She whispered sweetly, observing that the rest of her babies were all still asleep.

The baby nuzzled against the skin beneath her hand in an attempt to get as close to her as possible. Gently she rubbed her fingers right over the little bulge in her skin that the baby was making. It was plain for her to see that the baby wanted attention directly from her, and so it had done everything in its power to fulfill that desire.

"I know… I'm lonely too." She said sadly.

The baby jabbed at her almost as if in response to her comment. She winced and chuckled a little bit.

"Okay fine, I have you guys." She said rubbing her belly.

The baby seemed to be satisfied with that answer and went back to nuzzling her hand.

Sighing she stared up at the ceiling. Although she had told her baby otherwise she really was lonely. She missed her friends back in Squad 13 and her complete removal from everything she had ever known deep down scared her. It didn't help that for the last few days she hadn't dared venture from her room, with the only exceptions being going to the magma bowl to feed. She was acutely aware that the sole reason the Queen tolerated her presence here was that she was pregnant with the last of the Klaxo-sapiens. But even with the shield of pregnancy she wasn't confident that it would protect her from severe punishment.

So far the only one who appreciated her presence here was Logos. He had answered some of her questions and had shown her why her pregnancy was so vital. It was because he was so kind to her that she really wanted to return to the throne room and talk to him. However the last time she was there the queen had seemed very angry with her, and she didn't want to risk the queen's wraith just to talk to Logos.

She sighed. Everything about her current situation was so confusing and uncertain that the sheer weight of it all hung over her like an oppressive cloud. The worst part, however, was the fact that she had nobody that she could confide in or ask for guidance. What was she supposed to do when she had been dragged from her known world and secreted away to the most alien place possible?

Why had she been chosen for this?

The baby nudged her with more force than usual and she was dragged out of her thoughts.

"Ow.." She said, rubbing her belly.

She looked down at the little baby and watched as it nudged against her again and again almost as if it was trying to borrow its way out of her body and into her hand. She chuckled softly.

"Sorry, little one." She said with an amused smile. "But we have a couple more years before you're ready for that."

Her smile faded and she let out a long sigh as she sat up. Tried and cranky she stretched trying to relieve some of her aches and pains. She sat in silence for a few minutes just listening to the sounds that Rakuen made.

"Naomi." Logos's voice called.

She gave a shriek of surprise and almost jumped out of her skin. Her babies became dislodged from her walls and began to frantically swim inside her from being awoken so suddenly.

"Logos!?" She yelped.

Her eyes dashed around to room trying to find him but to no avail.

"Where are you?" She called.

A few seconds later he began speaking but not in answer to her question. "I hope I didn't wake you, but I would like to talk to you."

"Yeah sure." She said excitedly. "I'll be right dow…"

Logos interrupted her. "Sorry for talking directly into your mind, I hope it's not too intrusive. Unfortunately, I won't be able to hear your replies quite yet, but I hope you're doing well."

"I am." She called back to the wall.

"Oh and one last thing." Logos said. "The Queen wanted me to remind you to feed the babies before you come."

She gulped nervously. The idea of seeing the queen again was something that she wasn't too fond of. Clutching her belly she sat for several minutes in silence taking deep breathes in an effort to relax.

"You can do this." She muttered. "Alright, let's go."

The elevator doors hissed open and Naomi stepped out. Up ahead she saw a blue glow emanating from the throne room.

"Oooooommmmmm." Came a deeper reverberating voice.

The sound sent shivers up her spine, and her whole body seemed to resonate in response to the sound. Even her babies had stopped moving and pressed themselves against her belly.

"What is that sound?" She whispered as she walked forward.

Exiting the tunnel she entered the throne room and gazed around in amazement. The thousands of little crystals embedded in the walls were sparkling and shimmering, their light dancing in sync with the voice.

"Oooooommmmmm." Came Logos's deep voice.

Bring her attention to the throne she spotted Logos behind it; his head bowed as he chanted. Curious she made her way to the base of the stairs and sat watching him.

"Om Mani Padme Hum…" He chanted quietly. "Om Mani Padme Hum…"

She sat in utter fascination, just watching as Logos slowly chanted his mantras.

"Hello, Naomi." He said suddenly.

She gave a start of surprise. "Oh! Hello.. I… Uh… I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't." He said softly. "Anyway, Naomi I hope you are doing well?"

She patted her belly softly. "As well as can be expected." She said ruthfully.

He chuckled softly. "Babies…. For all their joy they sure are a lot of work."

She smiled. "There also very hungry."

"I hope that the magma isn't too hot for you now. That stuff can be painful to swallow when not accustomed to it."

"It's not as bad as when I first tried it." She stroked her belly and grinned. "I've had to get used to it pretty quickly."

He smiled. "Sorry about that… I hope they're not causing you to much trouble."

"I'm going alright." She answered. "I just probably need more time to get used to being pregnant."

Logos bowed his head. "The queen and I owe you a lot a thanks, Naomi. You have no idea how much your generosity means to us."

Embarrassed at his sudden sincerity she frantically tried to dismiss his praise. "No. Please don't worry about it. You guys saved my life it's the least I can do."

He shuck his head "Saving your life is nothing compared to what you're going for us. Its a debt that we can never repay."

She blushed. "I think we still have a ways to go before you start thanking me. If what you said is true then the babies won't be ready for a long time."

"It'll pass by quicker than you think." He said with a smile. "Before you know it you'll be holding them in your arms."

"I may need help with that." She said with a smile. "Maybe my friends can….." Her smile faded as she realized that her friends were a world away from her.

Logos let the silence stretch for a few moments before he commented. "You'll be back with your friends before you know it, Naomi."

"Really!?" She yelped excitedly. "When?"

He shuck his head. "I don't know. All I can say is that you and the rest of Squad 13 are part of something big. The Queen and Dr. Franxx have been working on it for a while, and if all goes according to plan, the world will be reborn."

She stared at him completely baffled by what he was saying. Why would the Queen want to help Squad 13? She knew from first-hand experience that the queen didn't like humans, so why would she help Squad 13. And what did Dr. Franxx have to do with all of this? Wasn't he Papa's chief scientist? Why would one of Papa's servants help a race that he was sworn to fight against?

"I don't understand?" She asked bewildered.

Logos smiled. "All in due time. For now, I would just like to chat with you and maybe help you come to a deeper understanding of your roll here."

"O-Okay…. What do you want to talk about?"

* * *

Rain pattered down on them as they soared closer to Plantation 13. Curiously she studied Plantation 13 hoping that the plantation that was so important to her plans was different from the rest of humanity. Unfortunately from the outside however it looked just like any other plantation.

"I guess that's for the best." She muttered a little disappointed. "A cloaked blade is probably better for what I need than a bold statement of defiance."

Kiyomi gave a nervous grunt as they got closer to the plantation.

"Don't worry my friend." She said consolingly. "I've already masked our signatures from any detection."

Kiyomi began to circle the great glass dome once they had arrived; while she searched for one of the access hatches that Dr. Franxx had told her about. As they made another revolution around the dome she spotted what looked like a handle near the base of the dome.

"There." She commanded. "Kiyomi get as close as you can to the dome."

As they approached spot in the dome she issued her final instructions. "When I jump off, I want you to stay out of sight until I call you."

The dragon nodded, and as they passed over the spot she leapt off. Splitting her tentacle into eight long arms she stretched them out and caught herself as she landed with a thud near the door. Sighing she set herself down on her feet and shook herself as her tentacle formed itself again. Tapping her wrist her armor retracted and she stood facing the door cool rain pattering on her skin.

"Ahhh…" She moaned, feeling the cool rain on her skin. "Its been too long since I've felt rain."

Deep in the Earth is where she belonged, but if she had to say one nice thing about the surface, it would be the rain. Rain was just so pure and innocent, its cool caresses nurturing and bringing life to the soil of the surface. It was such a shame that the humans didn't appreciate it. Maybe if they had, they would have been a kinder more considerate race; and have compassion for things other than themselves.

"Says the one who won't even treat the girl she impregnated with the love and compassion she needs." A voice in her head said. "Says the one who used that girl as a tool and then exploited her sacrifice by forcing her to be pregnant."

She shook herself. She didn't want to entertain such thoughts. She was the queen, not Naomi.

Striding forward she pulled at the door handle and was disappointed when she encountered no resistance.

"Is Papa so arrogant that he doesn't even bother to lock his plantations?" She muttered.

Walking through the door she gazed out from the top of a hill over a forest with a building nestled at its center.

"That must be where they keep the children." She muttered. "Alright, let's go."

Curling her tentacle she flung herself into the air, using the impact of her landing as a springboard to fly over massive sections of the forest.

"Well, at least something of the surface is still alive." She muttered as she flew through the forest.

With one final leap, she landed at the edge of the forest. Curiously she inspected the building observing its layout and design. It pleased her to see that this building was made of wood giving it a nice natural feel, which stood in stark contrast to the mechanical nature of Papa.

"So…. This is where you keep the children." She muttered. "I like this bold statement Doctor Franxx. It's a refreshing thing to see in your kind."

She looked around. "Now where is this Zero Two girl?"

Closing her eyes she stretched her senses out, feeling for the presence of somebody with Klaxo-sapien blood.

"There she is." She paused for a second sensing something more. "Oh… And your mate is with you as well." She examined his presences trying to pick up all the little nuances that would distinguish him from the girl. "It appears the Doctor was right. You've done well Zero Two. He is a most worthy mate for you."

She opened her eyes and glanced up at a third-floor window that she could feel their presence from. Curling her tentacle she launched herself into the air and landed deftly and the roof outside the window. Slowly she silently inched her way forward until she could peek into the room. It took her a few moments before she spotted them, intertwined together under the sheets.

Curiously she examined the girl's face and long pink hair; taking note of red markings under her eyes and the ruby red horns that adorned her head.

"An interesting combination…" She thought.

She was surprised that this was the result of her DNA's union with a human. Although Naomi had been the only person she had tried this on, she knew that Klaxosaur DNA dominated its host and began turning them to a Klaxo-sapin. She wondered how Doctor Franxx had managed to blend the two without her DNA dominating his.

She shrugged. It wasn't really worth agonizing over.

Shifting her gaze she studied the girls mate.

"Not a bad choice." She thought.

The boy was handsome and strong looking. His eyes were shadowed in deep sapphire blue markings which she thought gave the boy a very alpha looking presence. And although she couldn't see them she could sense a pair of horns hidden under the boy's wild black hair. She also approved of the fact that the boy seemed to be very protective of Zero Two, his arms wrapped around her in a subconscious effort to keep her safe and close.

"Well, at least she'll be safe." She whispered.

As she continued to observe the pair she noticed that the window to the room was open a little. Out of morbid curiosity, she bent down and gave the room a sniff. Immediately the musty smell of mating pheromones attacked her nose and sent shivers of arousement up her spine. Hungrily she took another deep breath and indulged herself in the smell of love. Aroused she felt her nipples harden and with a pleasant tingling sensation her genitals began to form between her legs. It had been so long since she had smelled the smells of mating and love from a couple of her own kind.

As she sat indulging in the couples pheromones she realized that something was missing. The pheromones that the couple would release as they joined together where absent from the couples scent. And although she hadn't really been expecting it the Zero Two girl wasn't releasing any of her pregnancy pheromones either.

"A pity…" She muttered. "I miss the smells of love and children from my people."

"The Naomi girl is pregnant with your people and if everything you did works out she'll be one of us soon." She thought in a voice that sounded remarkably like Logos.

"I know….." She sighed. "I know…"

Refocusing her attention she gazed back at Zero Two and her mate.

"I guess you can thank Naomi for taking the burden of baring our children." She whispered. "Your womb is useless to me now. If you want to make your own children with it you may do so. Just make sure you can fight Papa's stupidity before your belly gets too swollen."

Suddenly the energy within her own womb swirled violently and she was forced to bite her tongue to keep from crying out. Rolling away from the window and onto the roof, she clutched her belly in pain and did her best to take deep breathes. Frantically her hands rubbed her belly in an effort to sooth what lay within her womb.

"No, not now." She prayed silently. "I can't go into labor now."

She lay there for a few minutes waiting for the next contraction to seize her. After another few moments, she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a contraction, but instead, it was the energy surging and crashing around within her.

She was so thankful that an energy surge was all it was. Going into labor now or before Papa was defeated would be hugely problematic. All of her efforts would be wasted if she and Logos had to remake the world now, just to have Papa destroy it again. The even more unfortunate part about this whole situation is that she had no idea how much longer she had until she was forced into labor. Nothing anywhere close to this had ever been attempted so she couldn't turn anywhere for guidance. The energy that had once been their child and been conceived before the genocide of her people, but over the past century the energy had been growing in potency and she had the feeling that she was almost at full term.

Sighing she looked up at the stars peeking through a little gap in the rain clouds.

"Logos is right." She muttered. "I really don't have time for hatred or selfish vendettas anymore. I owe the babies in Naomi's womb a mother who can take care of them."

For the next few minutes she lay on the roof of the house, her fingers lightly brushing her belly as the cold ran fell from the great glass dome.

"Alright." She said with a sigh. "Its time to go home."

Standing up she quietly made her way down from the roof before leaping into the forest. A few moments later she arrived back on the hill she had started from. Turning she took one last look over the forest and the house nestled at its center.

"Good luck you two." She said. "I'll come for you when the time comes."

Turning she exited the plantation and called for Kiyomi.

* * *

The colossal doors closed with a loud hiss behind them as she and Kiyomi landed back in Dragon Roost.

"Good work Kiyomi." She said affectionately stroking the dragon's neck. "You did well today."

The dragon purred affectionately and twisted its head around to nudge her as she dismounted.

"Easy, Easy." She said petting the dragon's snout.

As she continued to stroke Kiyomi she looked around at the cavern taking particular note of the massive doors. It was then that she realized that anytime she was not here Kiyomi was trapped in this room, completely alone and isolated from the outside world. Her heart sank as she realized what she had been doing to her friend for all these years.

Hurriedly she called out. "Rakuen! Open the doors to Dragon's roost!"

Immediately the massive doors gave a loud hiss and slowly began to open, letting the light from the stars wash in over them. Turning she hugged the great dragons head to her feeling the warmth of the dragon's skin against her chest.

"I'm so sorry my friend." She said hugging Kiyomi to her. "I can't believe….."

Suddenly the dragon yanked its head away from her and gave her a massive lick with its tongue. She just stood there completely stunned as wet sticky saliva dripped off her and pooled by her feet. Standing in a sticky puddle with ropes of saliva hanging from her arms she opened her eyes as she heard Kiyomi's gently purring from in front of her.

Spitting as she tried to get the taste of saliva out of her mouth she looked around until the great dragon came into focus. Kiyomi sat there watching her with an expression that she could only describe as uncontrollable laughter.

"Yes very funny." She said as she whipped sheets off saliva of her with her hands. "I hope you had a good laugh."

The dragon nodded its great big head and turned to look out at the night sky, a massive grin still spread across its face.

A few minutes later she finally managed to rid herself of the last of saliva. Looking up she stared at her friend just taking in the elegance of beauty of the majestic dragon in front of her.

"Kiyomi." She called out to the dragon.

"You… d-do..n't n.e..ed to ap…olo..gize." Said a voice into her head. "I always be …. Be here for you Maya."

"You can talk!?" She cried out in shock. "W-When did you learn to do that!?"

"C.a..n't t-talk w-well." The dragon replied. "On..ly m-manage few w-words."

She stood still completely stunned that her friend could talk. It took her serval long moments to process this fact before she managed to collect herself.

"Kiyomi." She said after a long few moments.

The dragon cut her off. "I-I Un..derstand Maya. You d-don't need to s-say anything."

She sighed. "Okay… Just…. Just promise me you'll stay alive. I've lost too many friends. I..I can't lose you too."

"I-I pro..mise," Kiyomi said bowing her head.

She sighed. "Well I have a husband who'll be looking for answers soon and I have a pregnant girl to take care of. Good luck Kiyomi."

"G-good l…Luck Ma..ya."

"You too." She replied.

Turning she made her way out of the cave and back towards the transports. Arriving back at Dragon Roost's loading dock she put the device that her armor was stored in along with the magma sword back on the rock shelf where she stored them.

"I never really use that thing." She said looking at the magma sword resting by the armor. "Maybe someday I'll find a use for it."

She was about to board the transport when Logos's voice spoke softly into her head. "Maya, are you back yet?"

"Yes." She replied slightly exasperated.

"Come to the throne room." He almost whispered. "You need to see this for yourself."

"See what?" She asked confused.

"Just come." He replied urgently. "And make it quick, I don't want you to miss this."

"Okay." She replied. "On my way."

A few minutes later she arrived back in the throne room. Immediately she knew something was off, and it only took her a few moments to realize that Logos wasn't in his usual spot behind the throne.

"I'm up by the children." He said quietly into her mind before she could inquire about his location. "Get up here quick." And then hurriedly he added. "Oh but do it quietly. I don't want you to disturb them."

Intrigued but also slightly suspicious she quietly crossed the room and made her way up past the throne and towards the hidden door behind it. Next to the door sat Logos his head poking around the corner as he watched whoever was in the room. Her husband had shrunk himself down to a more reasonable size and currently sat hiding most of his body behind the wall so that only his head was visible to anyone inside the room.

"What is so urgent?" She called into his mind.

Turning his head he spotted her and without saying a word beckoned her over with his tail.

Arriving in front of the door she looked at him and waited for an explanation.

"Do you need anymore more proof about her?" He asked pointing into the room."

"Proof of wha…" As she turned she spotted the Naomi girl.

It was at the moments that she saw what Logos and been talking about, and what the girl was going made her heart melt.

* * *

Naomi looked down at her babies as they swam around in her womb. Her brain was a complete ball of mush as she tried to process all the information that Logos had been telling her. That wasn't even to mention all the basic terminology about her own body that she had just explained to her.

"Its a lot of information." Logos said with a chuckle.

She looked up and smiled a ruthful smile. "What makes it worse is that before a few minutes ago I didn't know any of these things and it's my own body. My body is so much more complex than I ever imagined."

Logos smiled. "Well as I'm sure you've gathered Papa didn't exactly want you questioning his orders. I'm assuming he told you very little about your body."

She scoffed. "Are you kidding me? He said that my. Errr…. V-vagina?"

He nodded confirming that she had said the new word correctly.

"He said that it was used for peeing and connecting with my FRANXX partner."

Logos chuckled a little bit. "Well, I guess it depends on what your definition of connecting is."

She looked at him slightly confused. "I don't get it."

He sighed. "I'll….I'll explain later. Please do continue."

"O-okay…" She said a little confused. "I don't know that's pretty much the end of it…. I do remember his lessons saying something about babies but he was talking about animals… I guess nobody ever thought of asking if humans could do it."

One of her babies crashed into the side of her womb and she winced in pain. Grinning she rubbed her belly. "I guess he was wrong though." She said with a smile.

Logos smiled affectionately at her and nodded.

"Naomi….." A faint voice whispered into her head. "Mommy…."

Startled she spun around trying to find the source of the voice.

"What!?" She called out.

"Naomi, are you okay?" Logos asked concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah…." She said still staring around. "I heard somebody call my name."

"Really? Who was it?"

"I don't know." She said now thoroughly confused. "But I swear somebody was calling out to me."

"So lonely…" The voice whispered. "It hurts… W-want…. mommy…. Naomi…"

Her eyes swung around and she stared up towards Logos.

What is that? Nobodies up there except Logos. Then her memory sparked.

"The little girl!" She shouted. "Logos I think the little girl is calling to me. Could I see her again?"

Logos stared at her stunned for a few moments. Shaking himself he stuttered. "S-sure… B-be my guest."

Jumping to her feet she climbed the steps until she stood by the throne. Logos shrunk himself and both of them quickly moved to the door. As the door slide open she dashed in and made her way past all the tubes until she came to the one at the end. Turning she stared up at the little girl in the tube. The sight of the little girls shriveled body and sunken face made her heart ache with pain.

"I'm here." She called to the little girl. "I'm here little one. Please, tell me what you need."

The little girl opened her eyes and she watched as those glowing eyes searched for her voice. Her heart ached at the sight of the little girl and she desperately wanted to just pull the girl into a hug and hold the girl to her chest. Walking forward she pressed herself against the glass tube trying to make herself as visible as possible.

"I'm here." She called out.

The child's eyes swung to her and she watched as the girl's sunken face lit up in delight.

"Hey…" She whispered sweetly pressing her hands against the glass. "H-How have you been?"

The girl didn't answer, but instead just keep searching her, almost as if trying to absorb every detail of the person in front of her. Naomi smiled and just stared at the little girl taking in every detail and line of the girl's sunken face. For some reason, the little girl's face made her really happy and all she could do was smile.

"You're so pretty." She whispered.

"Mo…m….m..y…" She heard in her head.

Feebly the little girl reached out with her boney little arm, trying to touch the person on the other side of the glass barrier. Her stiff fingers stretched uselessly in an attempt to bring the person closer.

Naomi's heart ached at the slight of the girl's struggles and she wanted nothing more than to find a way into that tube and hold the little girl as close as she could. A tear began to slide down her face and she desperately tried to reach out with her mind to tell the girl that everything was going to be okay.

The girl stopped reaching for her and closed her tiny little hand almost as if grabbing something that only she could see.

Sadly Naomi looked down at her belly and watched as her little babies swam around inside her.

"If only I'd gotten here sooner…." She muttered sadly. "Then maybe I could have saved you too…"

She looked back up at the little girl and tried to memorizes every detail of the girl in front of her.

"If only…"

She sat in silence for a few minutes just observing the little girl as she floated in her liquid prison. As she sat watching the little girl she noticed that the child's eyes kept staring at her belly. Judging by her confused expression however it seemed that she couldn't quite make out whatever she was staring at.

"Do you want to see the babies?" She asked realizing what the child was staring at.

The child gave no response but instead glanced at her for a moment before shifting its gaze back to her belly.

Looking down she rubbed her belly to try and get her babies attention. "Hey." She whispered to them. "Come see your…"

"Sister.." Logos's voice whispered into her head.

"Come see your sister.." She whispered.

Curiously her babies swam up to her hand and began to nudge against her belly. Content that she had gotten their attention she carefully placed her belly against the glass tube so that the child could see.

"I'm pregnant little one." She said to the child. "I have twelve of your siblings growing inside me." She stared up at the child and her voice cracked with emotion. "You're their big sister…" Tears began to stream down her face, and racking sobs shook her body. "I wish that you could meet them… I….I w-wish th-that there was something I could do to save you."

Slowly the child began to swim its way over to her, struggling with the effort it took to move its arms and legs.

"No!" She shouted fear causing her voice to crack. "You'll hurt yourself!"

The child didn't listen but instead kept swimming until she bumped against the glass in front of her.

"Are you okay?" She asked still alarmed at the child's sudden move.

The girl didn't answer but stared happily at her belly her eyes darting back and forth as she stared at each one of the babies. Happily, the girl reached out her hand and gently stroked the glass separating her from the rest of her siblings. Naomi giggled slightly as her babies nuzzled gently against her belly following their sister's fingers as the girl continued to stroke the glass separating them. Smiling she stood for a few minutes watching as her babies and the little girl played with each other giggling happily as the girl made her babies swim in circles around her belly.

"Logos is right about you." Came the voice of the queen.

Ice flooded through her veins and she spun around to face the queen. But before she could form a reply the queen continued.

"You are going to be a fantastic mother."

"T-Thanks?…" She stuttered, trying to regain her composer. Praise was the last thing she had been expecting to come out of the queen's mouth and this change of attitude since the last time they'd met was slightly unnerving.

"I'll glad you finally agree" Came Logos's voice as he slithered towards them.

"Logos." She said in surprise. "I forgot you were here… S-Sorry. I ran off and didn't wait for you."

"You never need to apologize to us, Naomi." Logos said bowing his head.

"I… ugh… I… Um.." She stuttered trying to focus.

"I do, however." The queen said, looking at her.

She shifted her gaze back to the queen expecting to see the queen's usually fiery hatred blazing out at her. Instead, all she saw was warm, and plea for forgiveness. Relaxing a little bit she stared at the queen hoping that this time maybe she wasn't about to be yelled at.

"Naomi." The queen said, looking her in the eye. "I owe you an apology for how I've treated you. I took you here against your will and impregnated you without asking for your permission. I then proceeded too…"

"Stop." She interrupted finally regaining her composer and holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "M-my lady I… I understand why you did some of the things you did. I-I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through over the past hundred years, and how hard that must have been."

"Still it doesn't excuse what I've done." The queen insisted. "I shouldn't have treated you so horribly especially after everything you've done for me."

Naomi pressed on. She realized that this was a crucial moment to improve her relationship with the queen and that if she ever wanted to be truly accepted here and create the best lives she could for her babies she needed to extend a peace offering to the queen.

"My lady." She interrupted again. "Can I take a guess as to why you did everything you did?"

The queen nodded and gestured for her to continue.

She used her hand to gesture to her belly and stretched out her tentacle to include the little girl behind her. "It was for them right?" She asked.

The queen glanced at the girl and at the babies in her belly and nodded. "I would do anything."

"Then just leave it at that." She stated. "To me. I already value my babies and their safety more anything else in the world." She smiled and chuckled. "Maybe being pregnant is screwing with my head but it seems that at least for the moment our goals align."

The queen stared at her stunned. "Imagine what the world would be like if the world had more people like you, and less like me." The queen whispered.

"I don't know." She teased. "If everybody spent their whole day sleeping not a lot would get done."

The queen smiled. "We might have more children."

She smiled. "Maybe…"

After a few moments of silence, Logos slithered up to the tube and stared in at the child.

"Hello, little one." He said pressing his head against the glass.

Turning both she and the queen watched as the child reached up and stroked the glass in front of his head. Naomi's heart began to ache again at the sight of the girl's attempts to touch and get affection from the people outside her tube. It was so unfair. Why did this child have to suffer so much?

Turning she looked to see what the queen's reaction to all this was, and was upset by the fact that the queen had a huge smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling, My Lady." She asked trying to concealing her frustration.

"I've watched her grow since she was nothing more than a tiny cell." The queen said tears sparkling in her eyes. "Th-This is the first time I've ever seen her interacting with anyone. She's….. She's never had the strength to move for more than a minute, and thats if I'm lucky."

The queen turned and looked at her. "But I've been watching you for the last few minutes, and she's been more active than she's ever been." The queen looked back at the child. "I didn't think I'd ever get to see her like this…. She… She was always just another failed child… Just another thing I destroyed…."

"My Lady I…" She said trying to think of something to say.

The queen plowed on her voice thick with emotion. "I hated you, Naomi, because you what I could never be. After what the humans did to my people the fact that a human could carry the babies when nothing I did ever worked, was humiliating. When I first met you I was so excited that my new creation had worked…..But…But…. I didn't take me very long to realize that just like any other mother you and your babies formed a bond that I could never have. And the fact that you were a human just made it worse."

The queen took a deep breath. "I was so foolish…. I thought that I was better than the humans. More righteous. More pure… But in the end… I'm just as corrupt… Just as selfish…" The queen glanced around the room, taking the dead babies. "I could never look at them the way you do. To me, their survival was a necessity so that our race would survive… They were just a means to an end…" The queen bit her lip fighting to hold back tears. "And that's what I gave them…"

A tear began to run down her cheek, and she sucked in a shaky breathe. " All they ever need was a mother. Somebody who would show them love and compassion…. But all they ever got was a monster… And that monster killed them all."

Naomi strode forward and grabbed the queen's hand and placed it on her belly. "What do you feel, my lady?" She asked holding the queen hand to her.

"I feel your children." The queen said tears sliding down her face.

"You gave them to me." She said. "You gave me the womb that I carry them in." She looked the queen in the eye. "Without you, I would be dead. Without you, I would have never been able to carry them." She pushed the queen's hand even hard into her belly. "I won't let my children die. And when I bring them into the world, all your hopes and dreams will be reborn with them."

The queen removed her hand and looked up at Logos. "Have I ever been more wrong about anything else in my entire life?"

"No…" He said with a laugh. "Alienating her would have been your biggest screwup."

The queen held out her hand. "You really are something special Naomi… I know we didn't start off on the right foot… But… I-If your willing to give me a second chance, then I would be enterally grateful."

She grasped the queen's hand. "Of course My lady."

"Maya." The queen interrupted. "My name is Maya."

They shook hands. "Of course, Maya."

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 11 of The Jian Bird.

I apologize for the delay, unfortunately, I got a little caught up over the break and didn't have a lot of time to write. The next chapter shouldn't take this long, and I would at a minimum like to release one chapter a month if not more.

For all, you Zero Two and Hiro fans don't you worry I got a whole bunch of good stuff planned for them. When we get to it _(soon)_ I would like to flesh out and expand on Hiro and Zero Two's meeting during Episode 13 so if you like that episode then I hope that my version will be even better.

Stay tuned for chapter 12 of The Jian Bird: The Gift


	12. Chapter 12: The Gift

Dr. Franxx walked into the control center of Plantation 13, glowing displays and holograms filling the whole room with an orange glow.

"Sir!" The plantation administrators saluted.

"At ease." He said taking a seat at a glass screen conference table. "I have some things I would like to discuss."

Both of them crossed the room and took seats across from him, each of them accessing any information they might need through the tables display surface.

"So Hachi." He said, after giving the administrators a few moments to set up. "Anything to report?"

"Yes," Hachi said, concern evident in his voice. "Do you see the reports of Papa's magma cannon?"

"Yeah, I did. A terrifying weapon to be sure." He commented.

"Shouldn't we be concerned about that?" Hachi asked sounding confused.

"I would be if it hadn't exploded." He answered.

"I'm sorry I didn't see those reports. I'll do better from now on." Hachi said sounding ashamed of himself for not reading those reports.

"Don't worry about it Hachi." He said waving his hand. "The only reason I know about its malfunction is that Papa contacted me looking for advice." He snorted. "Like I'd have any idea how to fix it when he didn't bother to share that he was building it in the first place."

"Oh…" Hachi said sounding relieved. "Well… The only other thing I've got is that the Garden has cleared us to top off our fuel when we get there."

"Good. Remember what I said about keeping APE off the plantation."

"Of course, Sir," Hachi said nodding.

He turned to Nana. "Nana, are you all ready for today?"

"Yes." She said nodding. "I've been practicing how to tell the girls how to use their new fertility pads, and the presents are already up in Mistleteinn as well."

He nodded. "Alright, well I have an idea I would like to implement, but I can't do it without you guys."

"We're on board Sir, just tell us what you need us to do." They both answered.

He smiled. "Well… I need your guy's help in turning Plantation 13's city into a massive garden."

They both looked at him stunned. "H-How do we do that?"

"I'm still thinking about it." He said. "But I believe it is vitally important to humanities survival after this is all over."

"What are we going to go about the city, and all the adults?" Nana asked after a few moments.

"Well in order to bring nutrients back into any soil we might bring in, we're going to need to reintroduce the magma energy." He gave her a meaningful look. "Trust me… I thought long and hard about this, but the adults are too far gone. There's no way to reintroduce them back into humanity." He sighed. "The best we can do for them is make them useful to humanities future, and have their souls take solace in that fact."

Nana gulped. "H-How would we extract the energy?"

"The same way we put it in," Hachi answered after a moments thought. "If we can them give them energy one way, then theoretically we can take it out the same way."

"Good thinking." He said nodding at Hachi in approval.

"Hmm… But where are we going to get all the seeds required for this? The Earth is barren." Nana asked.

"Give me a minute," Hachi said, tapping on the conference table to open a display. "Got it. Papa's great seed vault."

Nana leaned over and stared at the display. "Why's it so unguarded?"

He chimed in. "It was built more as a political stunt when Papa was gaining power. There was a group of activist who was hesitant to bored the plantations without some sort of reassurance that they could one day get off and re-plant the world. So Papa built it and put all the remaining seeds left in the world in the vault as a grand declaration that; he was for the people and he would do anything to make sure humanity could prosper in the future." He snorted. "Of course as soon as everybody was on the plantations and under his control, he had all the guards posted there leave and go somewhere else. To him, it served its purpose as a political pawn, but now that he doesn't need it, its a useless creation."

Nana grimaced. "Still… This vault is super far away…. It'll take us at least a month if not more at cruising speed to get there from the Garden. That's not to mention any distraction that may or may not divert our attention from our course."

Hachi grimaced as well. "If we really are going to be tearing down the city and build a garden in its place, we are going to need to slow down. Plus we're probably going to need to stop when we excavate the soil for this garden."

"And how are we going to get sunlight into this Garden?" Nana interjected. "Plus how are going to keep this hidden from the plantation guards?"

Waiting he let them finish their questions before decided to answer anything.

"One step at a time." He said once they had finished. "This is going to be a long process and if we rush were doomed to fall."

"Yes, Sir." They both said.

He let out a long sigh. "Alright, let's start. First, we can only implement this plan after we leave the Garden. You were right Nana, the guards are going to be a problem, and that's why as soon as we leave the Garden we are going to need to remove them." He gave a meaningful look at Hachi. "Permanently."

"I understand Sir," Hachi said nodding.

"We can order them into prime locations for removal, so you shouldn't be in any danger yourself." He added.

Hachi nodded. "Thank you."

He turned to Nana. "Nana, between now and when we leave the Garden I need you to find us a quiet route where we can lay low for a few days. We are going to need to find a place to remove the plantation's armor using the automated repair machinery in the maintenance hanger's."

"Understood Sir." She said nodding. "Oh! One more thing."

He nodded and signaled for her to continue.

"When are we going to revealing to Squad 13 that we're not working for Papa?"

He thought about it for a few moments. "I think it's best we wait until after we leave the Garden. I'll just feel safer if there's no chance of that information accidentally getting leaked while we are there."

They both nodded. "We understand."

He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together. "Alright then let's get to work." He said. "I'll start working on the logistics of all this; you two start on your respective tasks."

After a few moments, he bowed his head in gratitude. "You guy has no idea how much you two are doing for the good of humanity. None of this would have been possible without you. You have my deepest gratitude."

"Thank you, Sir." They both said.

"No. Thank you."

* * *

Hiro awoke the warm body of the one he loved nestled in his arms. The sky outside was dark with only the faintest wisps of the morning sun beginning to stretch their way into the night's dark abode.

Taking a deep breath he breathed in the sweet smell of Zero Two's hair, letting it wash over him in waves of bliss.

"When she gets up I'm going to give her the biggest kiss she's ever had." He thought, a happy smile on his face.

As he lay breathing in the smell of Zero Two's hair, he slowly became aware of two odd but very distinct sensations emanating from his forehead. He focused on the sensation trying to pin it down but no matter what he did he simply couldn't tell what it was without touching it or seeing himself in a mirror.

Slowly and with the utmost care, he inched his arms out from under Zero Two, doing everything he could to keep from waking her up. After serval arduous minutes of slowing inching himself out, he finally managed to free his arms. Slowing he sat up and tenderly began to crawl his way down towards the edge of the bed.

Slowing he gently placed his feet on the floor and sat up whining as the sound of his ass leaving the mattress made a faint squeaking sound. Tiptoeing he quietly made his way over to the door and gently inched it open, gritting his teeth in frustration as the door made a squeak loud enough to wake the dead. When he had finally managed to open the door wide enough he slipped out and gently closed the door behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief he made his way down from the third floor and towards the lobby.

When he had finally descended all the stairs he made his to the boy's bathroom and checked to make sure that nobody was in the bathroom with him. Satisfied that he was alone he locked the door and made his way over to one of the mirrors. Taking a deep breath he pulled back his bangs to reveal…

"Horns!" He almost shouted.

To his surprise, two small sapphire blue horns were protruding from his forehead stabbing up in a declaration of his new body. Reaching up he gently rubbed them between his fingers feeling their smooth surface beneath his fingers.

"I-I…..I h-have horns." He whispered.

Then it dawned on him.

"Wait a minute…." He stared back at the mirror. "I'm a hybrid! I'm…. Zero Two and I…. Were the same!"

He stared at himself. He had it all. He had markings under his eyes, large canines in his mouth, the horns on his head.

He looked at his arm. "Do I have that too?"

Bringing his arm up to his mouth he bit down hard, feeling his sharp canines bit deep into the flesh of his arm. Letting go of his arm he watched as blue blood dripped down his arm from the four small little holes that he had just made. Miraculously however before he even had time to register the fact that he had just cut himself, the wounds in his arm began to heal themselves.

"We're the same!" He whispered happily. "Zero Two, she's not alone! She finally has somebody who's like her!"

He hugged himself. "We're the same."

He sat there for a few moments indulging in his happiness until a thought came over him.

"How am I going to tell Zero Two." He whispered.

That thought broke through his happy moment like a hammer smashing glass. Zero Two had reacted poorly to both his teeth and his eyes. Showing her that he now had horns may set her off again, and the thought of his princess's face twisted in despair was already breaking his heart.

"How do I tell her?" He whispered to thin air.

He looked back at his horns. It was only thanks to his long bangs and wild hair that had kept his horns concealed thus far, but in a few more days his horns would poke through, and then she would know whether he liked it or not.

He had to tell her. But how? How could he tell her without her being upset?

He stood there thinking, trying to come up with a way to tell her, but no matter how many times he went over it in his head he simply couldn't find a solution.

Sighing he made his way out into the lobby, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. How am I supposed to tell her!?

He looked up and stared around hoping that something would just give him a hint of what to do. It was then out of the corner of his eye he spotted a pile of boxes in the living room. Distracted he stared at them until his brain slowly put together what day it was.

"It's Present day!" He gasped.

His mind was screaming at him to remember.

"The Beast and the Prince!" He gasped.

Forgetting his horns completely he dashed over to the pile and began searching for a present with his name on it. It only took him a few moments of searching until he spotted a thin book-sized package with his name on it. Grabbing it he was about to tear through the wrapping when a thought accrued to him.

"Maybe I should give this to Zero Two. If's she's the little red girl then this book is important to her."

Another voice in his head countered his assumption. "But what if she's not. Then we're giving her a book that doesn't mean anything."

"No." The other voice countered. "It's her it has to be her. Zero Two is the little girl from my dreams."

"Then why don't we just ask her? Wouldn't that be so much easier?"

"No…. It's more complicated than that…. Dreams aren't as vivid and accurate as what I've been experiencing."

"What does that mean?"

He thought for a moment and gasped. "They're memories!"

A tear began to slide down his face. Everything he had dreamed and envisioned about this little girl was true. Those fragments that he had experienced where vivid because they were real. The little red girl was real. She wasn't just a fragment of his imagination. She was real!

His heart of pounding in his chest. A little red figure wearing a black robe appeared before him, her cherry blossom pink hair cascading down her back just like Zero Two.

"Zero Two?" He whispered.

The girl turned to him, and her face lit up. "Da!" She cried running over to him.

He scooped her up and hugged her to his chest crying. "Zero Two. I knew it was you!"

After a few moments of tender hugging, he gently separated himself from her and stared at her beautiful emerald eyes. "I knew you were real."

"Da." The girl said reaching up to touch his face.

He closed his eyes and hummed happily as the girl's little hand stroked his cheek.

"I knew you were real." He whispered tucking her hair behind her ears.

Gently he grabbed the present and held it out to her. "I have something for you."

The girl shook her head. "Da." She said pointing to the ceiling.

He nodded. "I understand." And with a smile, he added. "Zero Two."

She smiled.

Blinking his eye's came back into focus and the girl was gone. He looked up at the ceiling.

"I knew you were important to me the day I met you." He smiled. "But until now I didn't fully comprehend how eternal our bond is."

He looked back at the book. A plan was beginning to form in his mind. A desperate plan, but a plan none the less. Pulling out his communicator he looked through his contacts until he found the administrators number. He stared at the number and took a deep breath trying to keep as levelheaded as possible. With another deep breath, he dialed the number.

It rang. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"Hiro, it's awfully early in the morning." Came Nana's voice. "How can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with Doctor Franxx." He said trying to sound calm as possible.

There was a long pause, and he heard an indistinguishable muttering from the other side of the phone.

"How can I help you, Hiro." Came the doctor's half mechanical voice.

"Sir." He said trying to keep his voice as level as possible. "I'd like to know if it's possible to regain a forgotten memory?"

There was a long silence. "Most likely yes… Maybe if you had some sort of trigger it could jolt your memory of that event." There was another long pause. "You're trying to remember Zero Two aren't you." It wasn't a question.

He gulped nervously, maybe this wasn't the best idea after all.

The Doctor sighed and said in a kind tone. "Tomorrow we'll reach the Garden. Come to my office after we dock. I'll have something important to give you by then."

"Sir I…"

The doctor cut him off. "Just do it, Hiro. I need you to trust me on this." There was another long pause. "If you ever want to make her truly happy, then please just listen to me."

He smiled. The doctor had just baited a hook with the one thing he couldn't resist. And like the dumb fish he was, he was about to swallow it without another moments thought. "Alright, I'll be by as soon as we dock."

The doctor chuckled. "I'll be waiting."

He hung up and looked down at the present in his hand.

"Anything for you." He whispered. "Anything."

He stared at the present for a few moments when a thought washed over him. "Wait a minute what if this isn't The Beast and the Prince! Everything I've been planning will be useless if this isn't that book."

He stared at it. Deciding he gently peeled the tape of part of the wrapping and unfolded it just enough to read the title. Sure enough, the title "The Beast and the Prince" gleamed at him, its golden lettering simmering as the night lights of the living room cast a pale light upon the book.

He smiled, there was no need to worry. The book had been in his hands the whole time.

As he stared at it, his mind drifted again to how best to play out the next couple days. He now without a doubt knew that Zero Two and that little girl were the same person and that she had been important to him since the very beginning. But now he had to decide how best he wanted to proceed forward. From where he stood right now, he had only regained enough of his memories to know that he and Zero Two had met as children, but the details of what they had done together were still largely obscured to him.

It took him several very long minutes to figure out why he would have forgotten his time as a child with Zero Two. And then it dawned on him. His memory had been whipped. He let out an angry snarl when he realized that fact. Somebody had taken away his precious memories of Zero Two and only now was he beginning to remember them. Thankfully, however, the doctor had said that there may be a way to regain those lost memories so at least he had a way of restoring his experiences with her.

He stared back at the book and played out what would happen when he gave Zero Two the book. He knew that the instant she saw this book it was going to trigger an emotional response from her. The fact that it was this book, in particular, was probably going to make her desperate for the knowledge that he had regained enough of his memories to know that he had met her as a child.

It was this fact that was creating the battle in his head. On the one hand, part of him wanted to run upstairs and tell her that he now knew that they had met as children. However, another part of him wanted to give his princess something far more grandiose. Telling her that he remembered everything that had transpired during their time together would be far more special and would probably make her even happier than telling her now.

And so the battle in his head raged, each side fighting to prove that its course of action was the better choice. Which option was the better choice? Which option would please her more?

It took serval long minutes but finally, he had come to a decision.

He looked up at the ceiling. "Hold on Zero Two. Please just hold on. I promise that the moment all my memories are restored I will come to you." He looked back down at the book. "I promise."

Gently he refolded the wrapping paper and sealed the present shut. Standing he quietly made his way to the stairs and back up to the third floor. Walking to the massive window that stretched the whole length of the wall, he gazed out at the forest shrouded in the night's dark embrace.

Sighing he turned and walked to the bedroom door and pressed his ear against it. After a few moments of listening, he heard the gentle sound of Zero Two's breathing signifying that she was still asleep.

For a few moments he debated on whether to enter the room, but eventually decided against it. Instead, he wandered around the third-floor corridor and decided to inspect some of the rooms that he had never bothered to enter. Curiously he inspecting each room noting that they were all identical to the one he and Zero Two shared. It wasn't until he got to the one at the end that he noticed anything different. This particular room wasn't a bedroom. It was a bathroom!

"I didn't know we had a bathroom." He said staring around the room.

The bathroom was small but accommodating. A shower big enough to fit two people took up the back wall, followed by a toilet and a sink.

Looking around he inspected the bathroom. "Hmmm… This is pretty nice…"

He pulled back the shower curtain and inspected the shower. Simple…. But defiantly enough space to move around in. Space enough to reach around and just touch every facet of Zero Two's beautiful skin. To just caress all of her curves and reach between her legs and….

"Ahh… Stop it!" He said shaking himself, his cheeks burning like the sun.

"I wonder why I've never noticed this was here?" He said after a few moments of silence.

"Maybe that's because you never went looking for it, dumb ass." A voice inside his head chided.

He sighed and decided to test if the bathrooms facilities actually worked. Turning the shower knob he watched as water cascaded down from the shower head and pooled on the floor before running down the drain.

He smiled. Zero Two was going to be very pleased that they had a shower to themselves. He chuckled and did his best to keep his mind from wandering off to fantasies of her naked body.

"When should we tell her about this?" A little voice inside his head asked.

"Right now!" Another more mischievous voice that sounded remarkably like Zero Two answered. "Let's give her a kiss on the head strip her naked and wash every inch of her beautiful body."

"We can't just do that!" The voice scolded.

"Why not?" The other voice said playfully. "She deserves to be touched and caressed. She loved when we played with that thing between her legs. It was dripping all that sweet, sweet nectar that tasted like the sweetest…"

"Ahh… Stop it!" He berated himself.

Turning he marched from the bathroom and out into the hallway determinately not thinking of Zero Two or anything that might make him get excited about her. Resolving himself he began to pace the third floor and decided that plan out how he was going to tell Zero Two all the things he wanted to tell her over the next few days.

* * *

Zero Two's eyes flickered open as the sound of quiet footsteps echoed from the hallway. It didn't take her very long to notice that someone was missing, however.

"Darling?" She said sleepy, turning to glance over her shoulder.

Darling wasn't there, however, so she sat up to search the room. Yet again Darling wasn't anywhere to be seen. She gave the room one final look over before shrugging.

"Must be downstairs." She said with a yawn.

As she was whipping the sleep from her eyes however she slowly became aware of another problem. The area between her legs was wet and sticky, and her supersensitive nose already was picking up the metallic smell of blood.

"Oh please don't tell me its that time of month already." She pleaded feebly to herself.

Peeling back the sheets she saw that her underwear and thighs were swamped in her sticky blue blood.

"Oh please why now?" She muttered frustrated.

She hated this part about herself. Every month this happened to her and she knew that she was going to spend the rest of the day bleeding her genitals out while staining uniforms and anything else she sat her ass on. What made it all the more infuriating however was that. SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK ANY OF THIS SIGNIFIED! WHY DID THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO HER!

Muttering in frustration she disentangled herself from the sheets and got off the bed. Nervously she collected a spare uniform and made her way over to the door, hoping that she wouldn't run into anybody on her way to the bathroom. Her biggest fear would be having Darling see her like this. The rest of Squad 13 she could handle, but Darling would worry and fret overseeing her drenched in her own blood and she really didn't want to scare him.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't run into Darling.

"Zero Two!" Darling called affectionately. "Hey, I didn't know you were up. Good morning."

Ice flooded her stomach and her head darted to the side and she spotted Darling walking towards her, his loving smile already beaming out to her.

"Morning." She called nervously, desperately trying to think of a way to get out of this without showing him all her blood.

Darling, however, seemed to almost sense her distress and she could hear concern in his voice. "Y-You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said nervously. There was no good way to get out of this. If she ran Darling would chance her in an attempt to make sure she was okay, and ultimately that would just make him more scared.

As Darling got closer she nervously tried to pull her nightshirt down in an attempt to cover her blood. This was a massive mistake because Darling's eyes followed the movement and as she looked up at him she watched as his concern turned to fear.

"Zero Two! Is that blood!?" He cried running up to her.

"Ummm….. It's…."

Embarrassed she desperately searched for anything she could find to change the subject. Her eyes fell on a glittering package in his left hand, so she seized on the opportunity.

"What's that in your hand?" She asked, feebly hoping that he would forget about the blood.

Darling, however, was having none of it. "Please don't change the subject. You're hurt aren't you."

She sighed, and let go of her nightshirt. Immediately Darling's eyes widened in terror as he saw how badly her blood had stained her undergarments and thighs.

"Zero Two!….." He cried his eyes as wide as saucers. "We need to get you to the med bay now!"

He reached out to grab her, but she gently stopped him.

"I-I'm alright Darling." She said rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

He gave her a disbelieving look. "It doesn't look like it."

"No, really it's…." She bit her lip. Darling's reaction was exactly what she had been trying to avoid, and she didn't want to make it worse. "It's uhh…. It's normal."

"Normal?" He said doubtfully. "I don't think it's normal for you to be bleeding this badly.

"No really." She said. "This is just something that happens to me. It's been happening for years now and I never been negatively affected by it." She lied about that last part. It was better to cover up the more negative aspects of her past and not let those experiences taint Darling, or make him think that she was damaged in some way.

"Then….. Why…" He said a very confused look on his face. "Why is it happening now?"

She shrugged and tried to put her usually pep back into her voice. "I don't know, it just happens to me." She decided that removing herself down to the bathroom to clean up in high spirits would be the best way to alleviate his worries. She let go of his hand and began to take a few steps back. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom and clean up. Meet you downstairs?"

He stared at her confused for a few moments, and then he shook himself. "N-No meet me up here I have…" He shook his head. "I'll tell you when you get back."

Relieved that she had managed to defuse the situation she gave him a radiant smile and began to skip off towards the stairwell. It was only when she was safely out of site and halfway to the bathrooms that her smile turned to a scowl and her skipping turned into an irrigated run.

"Why do I bleed like this?" She snarled as she descended the stairs.

Why had she forgotten that this was going to happen to her? Every month for a day her lower lips unleashed lakes worth of that weird thick blood. And what made her think that cleaning up was going to make any difference? For the rest of the day she was going to be enveloped in a sticky swamp of her blue disgusting blood. And if this time was anything like the usually she was going to ruin her uniform as her blood soaked through the layers and ran sticky and nasty down her legs. But this time was going to be far worse than the others. Every time before this she hadn't been with Darling. She would just bleed and bleed and bleed her underwear and leggings stained blue. But before it hadn't mattered. Everybody already thought she was a monster so what did it matter if the monster bled everywhere and stained her clothes. But this time was different. Darling cared about her and when he had seen her blood he had instantly tried to help her and make sure she was okay.

"This is so stupid!" She hissed. "I can't make him worry. I mustn't make Darling upset."

She stared down at herself. "Stop it stupid body. Can't you let me just be happy with Darling and stop making him worry? I've spent my whole life looking for him and you have to go and ruin it for me."

Grabbing the bathroom door handle she turned it and was about to open the bathroom door when the sound of voices stopped her. Curious she pressed her ear to the door and listened in.

"I still can't believe my body can do that," Ichigo said. "It's so amazing that we can do that."

"I know right," Ikuno replied.

"So much for being different just to pilot," Ichigo muttered. "I'm upset that Papa would hide this from us."

"It's probably to keep us from being independent."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Well think about," Ikuno replied. "If we're caring for our own children how are we supposed to fight? Plus if you were pregnant would Goro let you risk your life?"

"No…" Ichigo said affectionately. "He probably wouldn't let me do anything dangerous." There was a pause. "You know I think I want to try making one soon. I actually want to test some of this."

"Careful." Ikuno cautioned. "If they find out." There was another pause. "Ichigo we have to be careful with this stuff, defying Papa is treason."

"But you want to do it too," Ichigo said weakly. "Is it wrong to want to be something more than somebodies tool."

"No your right…" Ikuno sighed. "You're a hundred percent right. As soon as I find a way to do it without a boy, I don't know how long I could go without at least trying.

"Careful." Ichigo teased. "Its treason."

Both of them giggled.

"Still I guess you're right." Ichigo conceded. "If we do this now, something bad is going to happen."

"What are they talking about?" She whispered.

Something about whatever they were talking about was making her heart pound. It sounded super important and special. She just had a gut feeling that this was information that she had to know. Plus if it involved defying Papa she was totally on board. After all the shit that she had endured, she would love to just shove it in his face.

"You know I wonder if Zero Two experiences the same thing as us. Do you think that she has fertility cycles like we do?" Ichigo thought aloud.

"Probably," Ikuno said with a chuckle. "Although since she's like superhuman, I bet she's constantly fertile and don't have to wait around like us."

"Lucky…." Ichigo said with a sigh. "You know I wonder if her pregnancy cycle is faster than ours?"

Zero Two's heart was hammering in her chest. What did all this mean? What is a fertility cycle? What is pregnancy? Why were they talking about her? Were they really saying something positive about her or was that just her imagination? WHAT WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT!?

"Zero Two are you okay?" Miku asked from behind her.

She gave a yelp of surprise and tripped forward into the door. The door swung open and Zero Two was sent sprawling forward into the girl's bathroom, her uniform spinning out of her hand. Losing her footing she hit the floor with a loud "Smack!"

"Zero Two!" Both Ichigo and Ikuno yelped in surprise.

Frantically her eyes flew around the room. She had just placed herself in a vulnerable position sprawled on the floor. Past experience had taught her that being vulnerable around anyone who wasn't Darling meant bad things were about to happen.

"Your mine Iota!" Came the voice of Nine Alpha.

Frantically she rolled onto her side and bared her teeth eyes alight with fiery hatred as she searched for that menace.

"Stay away from me!" She snarled.

"Papa's orders." He said in a menacing voice.

"Never." She spat

"Zero Two?" Came Ichigo's voice sounding scared.

She blinked and saw Ichigo, concern, and fear written all over her face. She stared around and spotted Ikuno and Miku as well. She gave a massive sigh. It wasn't real. Nine Alpha wasn't here, it was just the other girls of Squad 13.

"Are you okay?" Ikuno said looking at her with concern.

She took a moment to collect herself and restore a more passive face. "Yeah, I'm fine. S-Sorry for causing such a scene." She said embarrassed.

"Are you sure you're okay? You sounded really angry." Ichigo said still concerned.

Her face was on fire. Today was just not her day. Bleeding in front on Darling and causing a scene in front of the other girls of Squad 13. Could her day get any worse?

Struggling she tried to come up with an answer. "I…I…. It's…I…I don't know… For a second I thought you guys were someone else." Determinately she looked anywhere but at them. "Sorry… I didn't mean to yell at you guys…"

"Never mind that! Zero Two you're bleeding!" Miku said.

"Uhh... What?" She looked down and remembered the reason that she had come down here in the first place. "Oh, That… It's nothing."

Ikuno was looking at all the blood with a confused expression on her face. "Zero Two. Is that blood coming from between your legs?"

"Uhhh… Yeah, I guess…." She answered, confused.

"Hmmm…. And is there any chance that this is a monthly occurrence?" Ikuno asked.

"Y-Yeah it is… How did you know?"

"Well the rest of us bleed every month too. I just haven't seen anyone bleed that much."

That information took her by surprise a little bit. "The rest of you guy bleed too?"

"Yeah for about a week and heavily," Ichigo said ruthfully. "By far the most annoying thing in my life. I'm just glad it's not longer."

"Damn, you really got the short end of the stick on that," Miku said with a chuckle.

"Why how long are you?" Ichigo asked.

"A few days, and light as a feather." Miku teased.

"Show off," Ichigo muttered.

Almost without warning, she burst out laughing. She was sure why, but for some reason she found this whole exchange to be funny. What made it even odder was that she'd never been this relaxed around anyone expect Darling.

Ichigo gave her a scathing look. "Why how long do you bleed for?"

It took her a few moments, but she finally managed to get control of herself. "I didn't know you guys bled that much." She said. "I only bleed for about a day."

"What!" Ichigo blurted.

"And you call me a show-off," Miku said to Ichigo.

"Hmmm…" Ikuno interjected with a frown. "I don't know what's worse. Dealing with it for a week, or bleeding it all in one day."

Her smile faded a little bit. "You don't miss much." She said to Ikuno.

The girl shrugged. "It's perfectly logical. It stands to reason that if you only bleed for a day, then you'd bleed a lot on that day."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Anyway…" Ichigo said after a moment. "We'll get out of your hair. I'm sure you're here to clean up."

"Yeah, actually I am." She said embarrassed.

"Alright," Ichigo said gesturing to the other that they should leave.

The rest of the girls began to make their way out of the bathroom.

"Oh… Don't forget today is Present day." Ichigo added.

"Okay." She said as the doors closed behind Ichigo.

"What's Present day?" She muttered as she collected her uniform from the corner of the room and turned towards the showers. Stripping she stepped in one of them and began to clean herself as best she could.

* * *

Hiro sat on the bed the present grasped in his hands. His arms were trembling slightly at the thought of having to present Zero Two with her gift while keeping up the facade of forgetfulness. He was convinced that waiting to create the perfect moment for her would be so much more special, but the fact that he had to lie to achieve it, just didn't sit well with him.

"Give me the strength to do this for her." He whispered to the book.

Nodding he tucked the present behind his back and took a deep breath trying to calm his racing heartbeat. Trying to take his mind off what was to come he stared around the trying to find something to distract himself with.

After searching for a few minutes he wound up just fiddling with the sheet, folding and unfolding them mindlessly. With one particularly hard yank, he spotted a little blue stain. The blue stain was a very familiar color. An image of Zero Two standing in the hallway her pants stained in blood floated to the forefront of his mind.

"Are you sure you okay?" He said, reaching out to touch the stained sheets. "You're not lying to me, just to keep me from worrying are you?"

He sighed. He really hoped that she was okay. The thought of Zero Two suffering was just too much to bear; and if she was hurt in anyway…..

"No." He muttered. "She wouldn't lie to me….."

Or would she? Would she hide the fact that she was hurt just to keep him from worrying?

"I'm lying to her." He whispered pathetically.

"But not really." Another side argued. "We're just trying to make it more special for her."

"But what if she doesn't want special. What if she just wants the truth."

"But we are lying for the greater good. She deserves something special."

The sound of somebody ascending to the third floor became audible, and in his heart, he knew that his princess was climbing to me him.

"Its time!" He thought frantically. "She here!"

Quickly he did his best to compose himself, and frantically tried to neaten up his hair. Almost without warning the bedroom door swung open and Zero Two stepped into the bedroom.

"Morning Darling!" She sang a huge smile on her face.

"Morning." He said warmly. Despite his misgivings about what was to come, he couldn't help but douse his princess in as much love as possible. "You look beautiful."

She blushed, her cheeks turning a rosy pink, and she looked at his feet. "I'm not…." She muttered feebly. Her attempts to brush off his praise, however, were somewhat under-minded by the happy little smile that she was trying to hide.

"Hmm…" He hummed suspiciously. Standing he walked over to her a stared at her face. "Hmm… I think I'm being lied to…"

Her cheeks flushed to a deep shade of crimson and she began to squirm.

"Found it!" He proclaimed. Pulling her into a hug he buried his face in her neck and began to sniff energetically.

"Aaaah!" She squealed. "That tickles!"

"Got you." He said in a cute little voice.

They stood playing with each other for a few minutes, but finally, they separated.

"What are we doing?" He said was a chuckle.

She hummed happily. "I don't know, but you started it."

"You seem like you're feeling better." He said after another few moments. "You had me worried this morning."

"Yeah, I doing perfectly fine." She said, her smiling fading just a little bit. "It was just some blood; pretty easy to clean up."

"Its time. Give her the book." A voice interjected into his head.

Suddenly his heart started hammering in his chest, and his mind immediately began to run every possible scenario that could transpire within the next few minutes. Give her the book! Give her the book! Give her the book! But what if…. Give her the book!

"Darling… Is something wrong?" Zero Two asked a touch of concern entering her voice.

He smiled. "Not when you around." He said sweetly.

She looked at him slightly confused, trying to discern what exactly he meant by that.

Give her the book! Resolving himself he gently grabbed her hand and lead her over to the bed. Grabbing the present he held it in his hand.

"What's that?" Zero Two asked curiously.

"Um…" He said with a gulp. "Its a present.."

She cocked her head at him confused.

His heart fell a little bit at that gesture. Everybody knew what a present was. It came to them every year on Present day. But if Zero Two didn't know what present was…. His heart broke. How badly had his princess been treated if she didn't even know what a present was?

"A present is a gift." He said after a moment. "Something meaningful that he give to another person."

"Like a kiss?" She asked curiously.

He chuckled. "No… It's more of a physical object." He took a deep breath. "Here…. I want you to have this."

"Oh! Okay, thanks." She paused for a moment. "What's inside it?"

His heart was pounding in his chest. "You'll have to open it and find out."

Gently she took the present from him and held it in her hand, staring at it curiously.

"How do I open it?" She asked gently touching the package's sparkly surface.

"Just tear the wrapping away." He said making a ripping motion.

He closed his eyes and waited with bated breath as Zero Two slowly tore at the wrapping. A few moments later there was a sharp intake of breath and she tore the rest of the wrapping away within a few seconds.

Slowly he opened his eyes and saw that Zero Two was trembling the title "The Beast and the Prince," gleaming up at her. Her breath was becoming heavier and heavier as she continued to stare at the book. Tears began to fall, making little droplets on the cover of the book.

"Darling…" She whispered, looking up at him tears sparkling in her eyes. "How…. How… did you know?"

Mental he braced himself. Remember just a little bit longer. IT'S JUST A LITTLE LONGER!

He gulped. "I don't know… It was just something I thought you'd like."

Zero Two's face fell, and he watched as it twisted and contoured in agony of despair. Her lip started to tremble violently and tears poured down her face. Her beautiful emerald eyes were filled with pain and despair. Her hands began to claw at the sheets, in an attempt to keep the emotions she was feeling from burst out.

As he stared at her he felt his heartbreaking, and the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her everything he knew was starting to overpower him. How could he have been so foolish? What made him think that lying to her was a good idea.

NO! Another part of him fired; we thought this through! Just wait until tomorrow and it will all be worth it!

But look at her! How can I treat my princess like this! She suffering!

We knew this was going to happen. Just ride it out.

As he sat there battling with himself, Zero Two took a deep breath and looked down at the book. Her hands were still clawing at the sheets and her face was contorted in pain but she started to mouth something to the book.

After serval long moments he heard her whisper in the faintest of breaths. "Just… A … L….i….ttle bit longer."

With one final shaky breath, she finally managed to control herself and looked up at him a pained smile on her face.

"Thank you, Darling…" She said trying to sound happy.

It's been decided for us, run with it! Part of him screamed.

Carefully he took a deep breath and thought out his next few words. An idea was forming in his mind. A way to give her a little hope while still holding on to his plan. With a smile, he carefully began to speak. "I'd hoped you'd like it. I had a dream about somebody handing me this book, and for some reason, I thought you would like it. I hope it was appropriate."

When he said those words he saw a flash of hope flash across her face, which was immediately followed by a look of desperation. When she spoke, however, her voice was in control. "I love it!" She said with a smile. "I love all the pretty colors that picture books have!"

Nervously he chuckled and said. "Do you want to read it together?"

"Yeah!" She said excitedly more of the passion and happiness flooding back into her tone.

Before he could even blink she scooted over to him until they were sitting side by side. Almost too energetically she plopped the book down on their knees and leaned against him. He shivered slightly. For some reason, this position felt eerily familiar.

"Do you want to read?" She asked. For some reason, it sounded more like a plea than a request.

"Sure." He said wrapping an arm around her. Again a shiver went up his spine, and the eerie sense of familiarity was back.

Zero Two hummed happily and cuddled up next to him.

He smiled and open the book. Taking a moment to clear his throat he began to read. "In the deepest, darkest part of the forest lived a tribe, hidden from all…."

* * *

"This is a really sad story…" He said, giving Zero Two an affectionate squeeze.

She didn't respond but instead hummed happily and buried her face in his neck. Giggling slightly he gently pulled her into a hug. Unfortunately, however, his tender moment with her was constantly being undermined by the nagging sensation of familiarity.

Their moments was broken when a timid knock came from the door. "Um…. I just wanted to inform you guys that everybody's waiting for you." Came Kokoro's kind voice.

Both of them jumped slightly from the sudden interruption, but it was Zero Two who recovered first.

"We're almost done." She said trying to sound apologetic. "Just give us a few more minutes please."

"Oh! That's okay!" Kokoro yelped. "I'll tell the others that you'll be down in a few minutes."

"I guess they're waiting for us." He said after a few moments.

"Yeah…" She said with a sigh. "Come on let's go find the others."

"You guys took your sweet time," Zorome said as both he and Zero Two entered the living room.

"Sorry." He said. "We kind of lost track of the time."

"What were you two doing?" Goro inquired.

"Um…. Nothing in particular." He said hurriedly as he spotted a free couch.

"Nevermind that," Ichigo said energetically. "Its finally present day! Let's see what we got!"

"Here! Here!" Miku exclaimed. She turned to her partner. "I bet you I can find my present first!" She challenged.

"Your loss!" Zorome said diving forward off his chair.

"Cheater!" She exclaimed as she too dived towards the pile of presents.

"So this is what present day is." Zero Two wondered aloud.

"Naa. Those two are just dorks." Goro said with an amused smile. "A swear those two will turn anything into a fight."

"Shut up!" Miku said as she scanned the name tags.

"Found it!" Zorome exclaimed holding up a package.

"No fair!" Miku said. "You cheated!"

Zorome stuck his tongue at her.

Chuckling Hiro looked around at the rest of the squad, just taking in the chaotic but friendly atmosphere of his squadmates.

"Hiro would you look this way for a moment," Ichigo said quietly.

"Huh…" He said startled. Turning he looked over at her and asked confused. "What is it?"

Ichigo seemed to be studying his eyes and suddenly he was reminded that he had markings under his eyes just like Zero Two.

Ichigo eyes widened as she stared at his eyes and then checked the markings on Zero Two's face.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest. The last time he had to check his markings they had still been nothing more than a blue shadow. But if Ichigo had just noticed them then they must have darkened to the point where they were now clearly visible.

"Are those…." She began.

Quickly he gave a slight shake of his head. He wasn't quite ready to tell the squad of his transformation and wanted to save it for a moment when Zero Two was more comfortable with it herself.

Thankfully Ichigo saw the shake and changed her tacked. "Are you wearing eyeliner?" She asked.

By now he was uncomfortably aware of the rest of the squad's eyes on him and quickly tried to come up with a plan of escape. Zero Two began to squirm next to him, and he deduced correctly that she was afraid of being ridiculed for changing him into a hybrid like her.

"Yeah." He said thinking fast. "I'd never wore it before, so I kind of wonder how it would look." Turning to the rest of the squad he posed his question. "How do I look?"

"Different," Goro said after a moments thought. "You almost look like Zero Two."

"That was probably his goal," Mitsuru interjected.

Curiously he glanced over at Mitsuru. He was surprised that Mitsuru had said that without his usual distaste. They had always had a strained relationship, and Mitsuru had also treated him with resentment. What had happened to change Mitsuru's outright hostility towards him? Mitsuru had been spending an awful lot of time with Kokoro. Did that have something to do with it?

"I think it's kind of cute," Kokoro said sweetly.

"Ohh!" Miku teased. "Trying to impress her are we?!"

Zero Two began to squirm. "Darling doesn't need markings to impress me." She stated boldly

"Aww." The squad teased.

"I bet Hiro begged you to paint those little markings on him." Miku teased and then continued in the soppiest impression of him she could muster. "Oh please Zero Two, paint little markings like yours on me! Please, I wanna look just like you!"

The squad burst out laughing, and many of them hugged their sides in a futile effort to control themselves.

He blushed scarlet as his cheeks burned like the sun. Desperately he looked over at Zero Two to relive some of his embarrassment but she was blushing just as deeply and was looking at him for the same reason he was looking at her.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo finally managed to gain enough control to wheeze out. "A-Alright g-guys lets leave them alone. They're both going to burst into flames if we keep this up much longer."

"Fine... Fine.." The squad grudgingly agreed.

As everyone bent forward to grab their own presents, Zero Two leaned against him. "Why didn't you tell them?" She whispered.

He smiled and whispered in her ear. "I'd rather be spending my time with you."

Zero Two gave an involuntary hum of pleasure, which she immediately tried to cover. "B-But…"

"No buts." He said giving her a little nuzzle.

"Zero Two," Ikuno called. "You have a Present here."

"W-What?" Zero Two said startled. She looked up at him confused. "But you…."

With a mysterious grin, he gestured to the package. "Don't look at me." He teased. "I'm not the present."

Plainly confused she stood up and grabbed the last present on the floor. Bring it back she placed it on her lap. "You remember how to open a present right?" He teased.

Y-Yeah." She said still bewildered. Grabbing a corner she tore away the wrapping. She struggled with the box for a few moments but eventually managed to get that open too. When she did a vast assortment of candy and other sweets gleamed up at them.

"Wow, somebody knows you have a sweet tooth." He said with a chuckle.

Curiously she picked up a note that was lying on top of all the candy. Opening it she showed it to him and they read it together. "I Love you." It read.

"Did you give this to me?" She asked puzzled.

"Nope." He said shaking his head; and added with a chuckle. "It looks like you have a secret admirer."

Zero Two made a doubtful noise.

He shrugged. "Well, its candy." He scanned some of the labels. "And a good portion of its honey-based. That's your favorite right?"

But rather than being happy Zero Two's frown deepened. "People don't usually do nice thing for me…. This feels like a trap."

"Well, there's one way to find out." He said cheerfully. Reaching into the box he grabbed a honey hard candy and opening it popped it into his mouth.

Zero Two watched him her eyes frantically searching for any sign of something going wrong.

As he watched her he felt an urge to tease her a little bit and a mischievous grin began to pull at the corners of his mouth.

"Don't be an ass," Goro interjected.

Zero Two whipped her head around. "What do you mean?"

Goro sighed. "He's going to pretend to choke on the candy and make it looked like it was poisoned in some way."

"How would know that?" She asked confused.

Goro shrugged. "I've known him for a long time, and I can see that stupid little grin on his face."

He gave Goro a mock incredulous look. "I would do no such thing."

Zero Two looked back at him and stared at him. Hurriedly he tried to wipe the grin off his face but he was just a little too late. "You know Goro I think you're right." She said not taking her eyes off him. "Darling's being bad."

Hurriedly he search around for something to distract her with, so he wouldn't have to face that withering stare. Spotting a honey loli-pop he took the wrapper off and said in a joking tone. "Open up."

Zero Two's eyes jumped and he saw her urge to play along, but at the last minute, she stopped herself.

Gently he began to trace her lips with the lollipops smooth golden surface. "Oh come on I know you want it." He said teasing.

For a few minutes, she determinately kept her lips sealed shut, but after another few moments relented and wrapped her mouth around the golden sphere.

"There you go." He said with a smile. "See I told you it was harmless."

She blushed and snatched the rest of the loli-pop out of his hand.

He was about to make another cutesy remark when he heard somebody sob with what sounded like a lot of pain and anguish. Everyone's heads flung around and everyone stared at Ikuno as she sobbed over something in her lap.

"Ikuno what's wrong?" Was Ichigo's concerned question.

Ikuno didn't answer but continued sobbing.

Startled everybody stood up and walked over to her.

Sitting in Ikuno's lap was a suitcase. He stood there confused until for some reason a great sense of foreboding washed over him. He stood there staring. This suitcase of familiar. This belonged to somebody he'ed know.

 _She flung the suitcase at him. Catching it he fell backward and landed with a loud thud. "What are you doing!" He cried._

 _"I don't need those things anymore. Make sure to share them with everyone." Sadness entered her voice and more tears cascaded done her face. "You know, I really like the name you gave me." She sobbed once more. "Hiro, I hope you find a good partner."_

"Naomi…." He said pain entering his voice. "This this her suitcase…."

The squad groaned as they processed that fact and reminded themselves of what Naomi had meant to all of them and especially to Ikuno.

He closed his eyes and remised on his old partner. She deserved so much better. She was always so sweet and always willing to help. Her kind smile had nurtured him through many dark depressing days, but for some reason, they never could pilot together. The had spent years trying to connect with each other, training and becoming more aquatinted with each other. Doing anything they could to somehow manage to pass the pilot test.

As the squad stood silent, all of them deep in remembrance of squad-mate lost to them, the elevator doors to Mistiltienn opened with a hiss. A few moments later Nana walked into the living room, carry a bag, and looking slightly nervous. As she walked in the squad turned to face her, all of them wearing various expressions of discomfort.

She walked up to them and gave them all a big smile. "Good morning everybody I hope that you all…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the expressions on their faces. "Is something wrong?"

A few members of the squad stepped aside to reveal Ikuno still sitting with the suitcase on her lap.

Nana's eyes widened momentary, as she recognized it, but she quickly recomposed her face.

The squad, however, noticed her momentary loss of composer and seized on it.

"Nana, what happened to Naomi?" Goro said calmly but in a stern tone.

"Yeah," Zorome commented in a slightly accusatory tone. "You never told us anything past the fact that she was missing."

"We are still unsure," Nana said calmly.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Ikuno screamed abruptly standing up, Naomi's suitcase falling to the floor. Ikuno pushed past everybody and got right up in Nana's face. "TELL ME! TELL ME NOW!"

"There's nothing I can tell you," Nana replied, holding her ground.

"Don't think you can get away with just that," Mitsuru interjected.

"Yeah." Miku challenged. "We're not stupid enough to believe that with all this technology you'd have no idea what happened to her."

"Look," Nana said, calmly. "We really have no idea where she is. We've picked apart every inch of that transport and we can't find anything. Her body just disappeared."

"Are you saying there's a chance she still alive." He asked calmly.

Nana turned to him. "Well, that's the question that everyone wants the answer to. If she were dead we would have found her body. But at the same time if she were still alive we would have picked her up and brought her back."

"Y-You're making no sense." Ikuno sobbed.

Nana reached out and touched Ikuno on the shoulder. "I know. Trust me, if I had the answers I would have given them to you." Nana paused for a moment. "Contrary to what you guys may believe. The Doctor, Hachi, and I care for all of you. Naomi was part of Squad 13. You guys deserve to know her fate."

"I don't believe that." Zero Two stated boldly. "Papa has never given a damn about any of us. We would he let you tell the squad anything."

The squad stare at her in disbelieve at the fact that she had just said that to Nana but the caretaker only smiled. "We're not Papa," Nana said simply.

Even Zero Two was taken aback by that answer.

"But.." Ichigo interjected.

Nana, however, cut her off. "That's where I'm leaving it." She said holding up her hand. "Now I would like to meet all the girls in the bathroom."

"No, wait!" Zorome fired back. "What do you mean you're not Papa."

"I already said I am not going to say anymore!" Nana said sternly.

"If you think you want any of us to go into the bathroom with you; you're going to need to provide a better explanation than that," Ichigo said sternly.

"Oh really," Nana said with a snide smile. "And tell me, do you enjoy bleeding from between your legs?"

Ichigo was taken aback and mouthed wordlessly trying to come up with something to say.

"You're telling me you can put a stop to that." Zero Two inquired suspiciously.

"No," Nana said with a knowing smile. "But I can help you to deal with it."

"How?" Miku interrupted.

Nana turned and said with an amused smile. "Well, you'll have to come with me. That is. Unless you want all the boys to see you naked?"

"Definitely not!" Miku blurted.

"Don't think that changing the subject or doing us a favor will make us forget what you said," Ichigo said sternly.

Nana turned back to her. "I would hope you wouldn't forget." Nana sighed and considered for a moment. "This is the only thing I will tell you now. More is going on then you can possibly imagine." She paused again. "Mull over that until we leave the Garden."

"But.." Ichigo stuttered.

"That all I'm telling you," Nana said her tone signifying that this was the end of the conversation. "Now I would like all the girls to please follow me."

Meekly all the girls made their way over to Nana and followed her out of the living room.

* * *

Zero Two sat on the bed in her nightgown, looking out the window at the night sky far above her. Currently, she had a few minutes to herself as she waited for Darling to finish taking a shower before he joined her in their bed.

"Tomorrow I'll tell him." She whispered. "Once we reach the Garden we can sneak into the forest and I'll tell him everything. He'll remember me then. He wasn't too."

She looked over at "The Beast and the Prince" its golden title gleaming at her like it had the very first time she had ever laid eyes on it. But it wasn't the book that was special, it was Darling who made it that way. Before it had just been a collection of pretty colors. Something that she could take solace in after hours of pain and abuse. But Darling was the one who had given it meaning. Darling was the one that had made her life truly worth living.

She looked down at herself. Who else could love somebody with a body as imperfect as her's? Why would anybody want to appreciate a body that was constantly doing things to make her uncomfortable? What was the point of having breasts when all they did was ache and weigh her down? Why did she have to have that slit between her legs? Darling's male genitals served their purpose without being half as bothersome as hers. What was the point of having a slit when all it did was bleed once a mouth and release weird sticky discharges for the rest? Was there a point to her being female at all, or was this just some sick joke?

She sighed and began to trace the outline of the windowsill. None of it really mattered. All that mattered was that she get Darling to remember her. She could tolerate being this way as long as Darling loved her for it. Darling's love was all that mattered to her now, and that was what she was going to hold onto. After a life of abuse and ridicule, she needed to settle down. She needed to make up every second of lost time, without him. She leaned back and absentmindedly began to stroke her belly. She needed to create some sort of nest where she and Darling could just cuddle up together and nurture their love. This running and fighting had to stop. The Klaxosaurs could gobble up all of humanity for all she cared. Just as long as they left Plantation 13 alone, and let her be with her Darling.

"I will have you back Darling." She whispered. "I will find a way for you to remember me."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reader Chapter 12 of The Jian Bird.

I apologize for the delay, I had no intention of this taking this long. I know I keep making promises that I never fulfill but please trust that I am always working on a new chapter. Currently, I am a College student and also working a part-time job so sometimes my time becomes constrained and I can't write as much as I like.

Stay tuned for Chapter 13 of The Jian Bird: The Beast and the Prince Part 1.


	13. Chapter 13:The Beast and the Prince Pt 1

Hiro awoke in the early hours of the morning long before the sun even began to consider creeping its way into the sky. Even though his eyes had only been open for a few moments he already felt restless and eager to get going. Today was the day he was going to retrieve every lost memory of his princess, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

There was a sigh and Zero Two's sweet smelling breath tickled his nostrils as she stirred in her sleep. He smiled. Even while she slept, Zero Two was still the most perfect person in the entire world.

His smile faded a little bit. He had a lot to do today, and as exciting as it was going to be, part of him was scared of what he might see, and what he might experience.

Slowly so that he wouldn't disturb Zero Two he inched his way off the bed and onto the floor. He collected a fresh uniform and was about leave when he thought of something. Walking over to the nightstand he picked up her communicator and typed out a message. When he had finished he gave her communicator a kiss and set it back on the nightstand. Picking up his own he made his way out into the hall. Striping to his underwear he removed his nightclothes and slipped on his uniform. When he was satisfied he reopened the door and quietly tossed his clothes into a corner. Then with the utmost care, he closed the door and began to make his way down to the lobby. While he was walking along the second floor, Goro came out of his dorm and the almost bumped into one another.

"Oh. Morning Hiro." Goro said was a drowsy smile. "You're up early."

"I could say the same thing about you." He said patting his friend on the back. "Whats roused you out of bed this early?"

"Bathroom," Goro answered as they both set off towards the lobby. "You?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just have something I need to do today."

Goro grinned at him. "Off on a quest to impress Zero Two?"

He chuckled. "Something like that. How'd you know?"

Goro frowned at him amused. "Oh come on. You're always doing stuff like this for her. I may be slow, but I'm not that slow."

"Oh come on." He countered. "I'm not that devoted to her."

Goro gave him an amused smile. "Right….. Forgive me if I don't believe you. I'm just remembering a certain someone who'd either hide in the forest sulking or hide in their room attempting to drawing weird pictures of distorted imagery."

He blushed. "I'm just glad those pictures were destroyed. If Zero Two saw them I'd probably explode."

Goro grinned evilly. "Oh some of them are still around. Maybe I should give Zero Two a hint in the right direction?"

"No! No nononononoooo! Defiantly not!" He exclaimed.

Goro grinned. "No promises."

"I thought we were friends." He said as they descended the stairs.

"We are," Goro replied and added with a mock concerned voice. "Plus shouldn't we be open with our partners? It's not good to hide things from one another."

He smirked. "Right….. I'll remind you of that the next time I catch you eyeing Ichigo's breasts."

"Excuse me." Came Ichigo's voice from behind them

"Ichigo!" Both of them yelped startled.

"Umm good morning." Goro stuttered. "What you doing up this early?"

"Going to use the bathroom." She said. "You."

"Same." Goro stuttered.

"Ahh… Isn't that cute." He teased. "Maybe you guys should go together. I hear that a shower is a good place for some bonding time. Maybe add that into the mix?"

"Shut it, Hiro." Both of them said, each of them sounding like they were only saying it because the other person was there.

"Or…." He continued. "How about a nice bath? A morning soak always puts me in high spirits, it would do wonders for both of you."

"I said Shut up." Both of them fired.

"Okay, okay." He said descended a big smirk on his face. "I'll leave you guys to it."

"Ass," Ichigo muttered.

He smiled and winked. "Alright, I'll stop."

As he dismounted the stairs and stepped into the lobby, Ichigo posed a question. "Where are you going? You already have your uniform on."

He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled it away from his forehead as he tried to think of how to explain what he was about to do. "Well, that's a long story…." He said, vaguely.

He looked up at his friends and was startled to see their eyes, wide in shock. "What?" He asked, confused.

"H-Hiro…," Goro said astounded. "Are... Are those horns?"

"Oh.." He said taken off guard. He had completely forgotten about his horns. "Yeah, they are." He patted his hair down but was shocked when he felt the tips of his horns poking through his hair. "They grew…" He muttered.

"What a minute," Goro said still in shock. "How long have you been like this

He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been keeping track. But it's been happening for a while now."

Ichigo sighed. "I thought so. Ever since you met her you've been changing haven't you?"

"Something like that." He said with smiled. "How long have you known?"

"I've had suspicions for a while now. Your canines are longer than everyone else's, and one time when you were laughing I spotted them. At first, I didn't believe it but the more and more I looked the more certain I became. It's the same thing with your markings. At first, I thought that you were just tried, but yesterday I finally put together that you had similar markings to Zero Two." She sniffed in amusement. "I guess it's official now though. There's no mistaking horns, not even I can pretend that's something else."

Nervously he gulped. "How do you feel about it?"

She shrugged. "I don't really care all that much. I remember the friend who was always smiling, always willing to share his happiness with everyone around him. And I remember the friend who suddenly retreated and spent his life hiding from the world, looking as though part of him had been ripped away."

Goro smiled. "Yeah. I remember him. The difference is night and day isn't it."

"You guy's still haven't answered my question." He said, concerned that they may be trying to hide their true feelings from him.

"Oh, Hiro," Ichigo said slightly exasperated. "Are you really that deaf? We don't care what you are just as long as it makes you happy. Zero Two has done more to bring back the old you than anyone. How could we hold resentment against something or someone who obviously makes you this happy?"

By the time Ichigo finished, he was having to exert a lot of effort to keep his emotions from bursting forth. "T-Thanks guys." He said, his voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea how much your support means to me. I…. I can't thank you enough."

"You don't need to thank us, Hiro," Goro said smiling. "We're just glad to have the real you back."

There were a few minutes of peaceful gratitude as each of them resonated with the bound of friendship and support that they all shared.

"Well." He said after a few more moments of peaceful silence. "I should be off. I have a meeting with somebody and an important task to accomplish."

Goro gave him a confused look. "I didn't think that Plantation 13 had much in the way of important tasks. What could you possibly have to do?"

"We're arriving at the Garden today Goro," Ichigo interjected.

Goro nodded as he was reminded of that fact, but after another few moments, a veil of sadness crossed his face. "You think we'll finally be able to see Futoshi today?"

"Hopefully," Ichigo said.

There was a long pause as they all contemplated Futoshi's injury and any reason why they were being prevented from seeing him.

"You know, I'm starting to get sick of not knowing what's going on," Ichigo stated irritation creeping into her voice. "I hate all this sitting around and I can't help but get this feeling that we're being manipulated."

Goro grunted in acknowledgment. "What I can't pin down is whether or not it's for our benefit or detriment. But I agree something more is defiantly going on."

Both of them looked at him for his input.

He shrugged. "There's nothing I can say that you guys haven't already said. We simply don't have the answers."

He sighed, and they all stood there for a few moments out of things to say.

"Well. I'm going to get going." He said beginning to walk away. "I've got something I need to do. See you guys later."

"Good luck Hiro." They both said with knowing smiles.

He nodded and made his way over to the elevators. The doors opened and he stepped inside, and a few moments later he descended down into the heart of the plantation.

"Today's the day." He said exhaling hard with anticipation at what was to come. The doors to the elevator opened and he stepped out onto the main lobby, the glass wall above the training gym visible even from where he was standing. He looked around spotted the corridor that led to the command center. He was about to start off towards it when a thought made him stop.

It would sure suck to go to the command center and get refused and possibly ruin his chances of getting help on his quest just because he was so early. Maybe it might be better to wait just a few more minutes just to make sure the Doctor would be up.

This thought was agonizing, however. He didn't want to wait he needed to get his memories of Zero Two now! The other side of him was equally as vehement in its position, however. Ruining his chances of ever remember her would be far worse than waiting a few more minutes to eventually remember her.

After a few more moments of arguing the cautious side of him won out and he resigned himself to the fact that he should wait a few more minutes before going to the command center. Sighing he walked over to the big glass wall and looked down at the training gym attempting and failing to keep himself from keeping track of every second that slipped by.

* * *

He stood there for what felt like an eternity desperately trying to keep himself from counting the seconds as they slipped by. Irritated he began tapping on the glass fighting to keep his anticipation under control. Just then he heard the hiss of the elevator doors behind him, which was immediately followed by the echoing sound of footsteps as somebody entered the lobby.

Curious he turned and spotted Ikuno, in workout clothes making her way towards the gym facility. When she spotted him however she changed course and began to make her way towards him.

Realizing that he was probably going to be drawn into a conversation with her; he fulling turned to face her.

"Morning Hiro," Ikuno said, a few moments later drawing up next to him. "You're up early."

He smiled glad of the distraction Ikuno was providing him. "I could say the same to you. Do you usually workout this early?"

Ikuno shrugged. "No, I've just been having a hard time sleeping all night and I need something to keep me from dwelling."

He pondered what that meant for a few moments and deduced correctly that Nana's comments about Naomi, had been the cause of Ikuno's sleeplessness.

"How about you?" She inquired. "What are you doing up this early?"

He thought for a few moments, wondering how much he should tell her. "I have a meeting with Dr. Franxx. I'm just waiting for him to wake up."

Ikuno nodded considering, looking as thou she was piecing together pieces of a complex puzzle. "Are you searching for something?" She asked, in a tone that suggested that she already knew the answer.

"I don't know." He said noncommittally. "But I know that I've been missing something, for a long time; so I guess maybe I am."

Ikuno nodded and looked down at the training gym. "It has something to do with her, doesn't it." She stated.

He too glanced down at the training gym. "Yeah. At least. I think it does."

Ikuno sniffed in amusement. "Oh, I'd be willing to bet it does. You two have weird connections that nobody else in the squad has. There's gotta be something special between you two."

He smiled. "We're not that different." He protested.

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Right… When you two take a step beyond what anybody else has done, maybe I'll point out your guy's difference from everyone else."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He said in a confused voice.

"Oh, I don't know." She said in a voice that sounded like she knew more than she was letting on. "You guys do weird things."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose we do." There was a long pause. "But I just can't help it. Zero Two needs that love an affection… She needs somebody who she can depend on, and not have to guard herself against."

Ikuno watched him curiously, and he could tell just by the way she was looking at him that she really wanted to know more. At the same time, she didn't want him to know that's what she wanted.

"Do you think, she'll ever come to see the rest of us that way?" Ikuno asked cautiously.

"I hope so." He said with a sigh. "She really is a sweet and loving person, and I really hope that she'll eventually be comfortable enough one day to share that with you guys."

Ikuno smiled. "You don't need to convince us about her Hiro. We see her in action every day." A small smirk stretched across her face. "We've all noticed that honey is now your new favorite food, thanks in no small part to a certain somebody."

He blushed, his face turning a deep shade of red. "Hey what can I say it's delicious. It's sweet and soft, and is just a joy to have in your mouth."

"Kinda like Zero Two?" She said with a completely straight face.

He had thought, that it would be impossible for his cheeks to flush any darker. Ikuno's comment however quickly taught him the error of his ways, and he felt like he was about to explode. "Wh-what makes you think t-that?" He stuttered trying to cover his embarrassment.

"Oh, nothing." She said with a smirk. "I've noticed your guy's intense kissing sessions in what you guys think is discreet locations. If you guys like sticking your mouths together so much, she must taste good."

Desperately he began looking everywhere except at Ikuno. He was one hundred percent sure that if he looked her in the eye right at this moment he was going to die from embarrassment. Luckily for him, Ikuno seemed to take pity on him and began to walk away.

"Well good luck Hiro." She said with a smile. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

"T-Thanks." He stuttered still trying to recover from his embarrassment.

"No need." She said walking over to the lift for the training gym. "Don't keep her waiting too long. You know she doesn't like being away from you."

He smiled. "I won't. Just keep her busy until I get back."

"Then you'd better hurry. We can buy you a few minutes but don't expect anything more than that."

He chuckled and turned towards the hall that led to the command center. After walking for a few minutes he eventually came to the command center. Nervously he stared at the door, its pale white surface projecting an almost unnaturally sterile aura. He took a long deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I got this." He whispered. Everything was going to go smoothly. By the end of the day, he could return to Zero Two, give her a kiss, and tell her everything he remembered about her. "Alright. Let's go."

As he stepped forward the doors to the command center slide open, and he looked into a room full of display screens and workstations, all of them project mind-boggling amounts of information.

"Hello, Hiro," Nana said as he stepped into the room. "Dr. Franxx told us to expect you."

He gulped nervously. When he spoke, however; his voice was under control. "Yes, I do. Do you know where I might find him?"

"Right this way." She said gesturing for him to follow. "He wanted to see you as soon as you arrived."

Excitedly he stepped fulling into the command center and began to follow Nana, as she crossed the room towards a door that led off the side of the command center. She stopped right before the door and turn to him.

"Go on in." She said gesturing towards the door.

"Thank you." He said. Taking one final deep breath, he walked forward and the door to the office opened with a quiet hiss. And sitting at his deck was Dr. Franxx, his arms folded as he waited.

"Good morning Hiro." Dr. Franxx said kindly. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Sorry, Sir." He said slightly nervous. "I didn't want to wake you."

The doctor nodded. "I thank you for your consideration." And then he added with a kind smile. "Now let's get down to business, you don't want to keep her waiting for too long."

"Is this really going to work?" He asked, more as a way to tell himself that it would.

"Well, I think it will…" The doctor said after a moment. "Tell me, Hiro. What prompted you to ask about regaining your memories? It may help me answer your question."

He thought for a few moments. "Well… I don't really understand it, but since I've met Zero Two, I've been getting weird visions of a little girl with red skin and horns. At first they were blurry and distorted but eventually, they became clearer as I retrieved more and more fragments. Eventually, I was able to piece together that the little girl was Zero Two, and I surmised that everything I had seen was real and not just a dream."

"Is that why you asked for "The Beast and the Prince" for present day?"

"Yes. That book seemed important to the girl, so I wanted to test and make sure that Zero Two really was that little girl."

"And is she?" The doctor asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer.

"Yes. Yes, she is." He said with a smile.

"Did you tell her that you remembered her?"

His smiled faded. "No… No.. I didn't."

"Why?" The doctor asked sounded confused.

"I…. I wanted to do something special for her. I know she'd be happy just knowing that I remember that we were together. But I think it would be far more special if I went to her with all my memories back."

The doctor nodded and smiled. "I understand… So now you're wondering if there's a way for you to regain all those memories."

He felt his stomach clench in anticipation. "And is there?"

"Yes, I believe you can." The doctor said rifling through his jacket pockets. "My theory is that if you visit certain places in the garden that and significant to your guys' past, you will be able to recover all your memories."

He felt his heart sink. "But I don't know where that might be." He said sounding desperate.

The doctor smiled and placed a sheet of paper on the desk between them. "I do. It took an extensive amount of research through reports, and archive footage, but I think I was able to compile a suitable list of locations that are significant to the two of you."

Awed, he stared at the list between them. Was the answer to all his questions really contained on that piece of paper? Would he finally be able to remember Zero Two?

He was about to reach for it when a thought stopped him. "Why would you do all this for us." He asked cautiously.

The doctor's face took on a pained expression and his voice became filled with sadness. "Because I owe Zero Two a debt I can never repay. And you're the only thing she's ever wanted."

He was kind of taken aback by that answer. "Why do you owe her a debt?"

The doctor sighed sadly. "I don't have the heart to explain right now. All I can do is beg that you take that list and give her what she's always wanted."

Cautiously he reached out and grabbed the list. Part of him was very suspicious of this whole situation because he couldn't fathom why Dr. Franxx would do any of this for him or Zero Two. At the same time however the doctor was showing a surprising amount of sincerity, and for the moment he had no other lead for finding his memories.

"Okay, I'll go find my memories of her." He said in a controlled voice. "When are we going to dock at the Garden?"

"We're already here." The doctor said with a smile. "Just exit at the loading dock and you'll be in the Garden. Oh and make sure to grab some snow gear on your way out. Currently, it's snowing pretty heavily and you'll be doing a lot of walking."

"Will, any of Papa's security guards try and stop me?"

The doctor shook his head. "I'll take care of that. You just focus on finding your memories."

He stood up and looked Dr. Franxx in the eyes. "Thank you. If this really gives me back my memories I'll be in your debt."

The doctor smiled. "You're not indebted to me Hiro. Just make her happy."

"I will." He promised.

Turning he made his way over to the door, but as it slid open Dr. Franxx called after him.

"Hiro." The doctor said looking miserable. "When you regain all your memories." The doctor paused looking as if he was fighting back tears. "Just…. Just remember that I'm the one who brought you back together again."

"Oh.." He said a little startled. "S-sure I'll do my best."

The doctor gave him a sad smile. "Good luck."

He nodded and walked through the door, and with a hiss, it slid shut behind him.

* * *

Zero Two as dozing in her bed, still half asleep but her mind dancing with half-awake fantasies. Her sense of relaxation was helped along by a warm pleasant feeling in her pelvis as her body finished regenerating a new life nurturing lining deep within her most intimate place. This sense of relaxation and love was fueling her most intimate dreams of love and connection with the person who was the center of her entire world.

"D-Da…rling." She murmured sleepily.

 _In her dream, she rolled on top of him kissing and pressing herself against him in an effort to be close to the person she valued above everyone else.._

 _"_ _I remember you Zero Two." He whispered in the sweetest most loving voice. "You're the most precious, most perfect person in the world."_

 _She hummed happily and as a wave of pleasure washed over her. "I love you so much." She whispered back her voice thick with emotion._

 _He smiled he squeezed her gently._

 _She shivered with pleasure, and rolled to the side so that she could wrap her arms fully around him. Unfortunately however._

"Thud." She rolled off the edge of the bed and hit the floor, jerking her out of her dream and sharply back into reality.

"Ouch." She yelped, her arm throbbing from where she had fallen on it. Sitting up she nursed her arm, hoping that she hadn't damaged anything too badly. As she sat there, however, she got the feeling that something was missing. And after a few moments, she realized that what she was missing was Darling. Darling almost immediately jumped to her aid even when it was completely unnecessary. So where was he?

"Darling?" She called looking around.

To her dismay, however, she couldn't find Darling anywhere. He had already left.

She sighed in disappointment. She liked it when she woke up in Darling's arms. It reminded her so much of that day that had forever changed her life. The day somebody had shown her kindness and love.

"Wait a minute!" She yelped her brain remembering what she was supposed to show Darling today. "We're at the Garden!"

Scrambling she disentangled herself from the bed sheets and flew over to a fresh uniform folded in the corner of the room. She needed to get dressed and find Darling as soon as possible. Today could be her only day to find a way to get Darling's memories back and she needed every last second. Hurriedly she stripped and began to haphazardly pull on her uniform, sacrificing neatness for speed.

"Stupid thing." She cursed. As her uniform zipper jammed. Why did things always have to go so wrong? And how could she have been stupid enough to not have set an alarm? On the one day that she actually needed to get up early, she had ended up sleeping in way later than she had planned. The suns morning rays were already knifing their way into the bedroom, meaning that some of her precious hours had already elapsed into nothingness.

"Stop it Zero Two and slow down!" A voice sounding remarkably like Darling said in her head. "You're only making this worse for yourself."

Slowing down she put on the rest of her clothes and combed her hair in a slightly more controlled manner. It would be faster and she could get to Darling quicker if she made sure she did everything correctly now. Satisfied with her appearance, she walked over to the nightstand and picked up her communicator. As she did so she spotted text written across its holographic surface. Curiously she began to read, hoping that maybe it held a clue to what Darling was doing. It did.

"Good morning Zero Two. I'm sorry I'm not here, I just have something that I need to do today. I'll be back as soon as I can." Darling had drawn a little heart, in the free space under the text.

Her heart stopped as she read that message. What did this mean? What did Darling need to do that was so important? Was there even the slightest chance that he had begun to remember her, and was off trying to recover his memories?

"Darling…" She said confused, but at the same time hopeful. "Please tell me that you remembering me."

She looked over at the Beast and the Prince, the very book that had been so important to them; was the book that he had gotten her. It could have been anything. But he had given her the one book that mattered. Of all the books in the world, he had chosen that one.

"Darling.." She whispered. Turning she charged out of the bedroom, and began to fly down the hallway towards the stairs. She needed to find him. She needed to find him now! She leaped the landing, and slammed into the wall, ignoring the pain she charged down the hallway and skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs into the lobby.

Ikuno and Ichigo were standing in the lobby having a conversation when she skidded to a halt. Noticing that she had rather abruptly appeared, the turned to greet her.

"Good morning Zero Two." Ichigo piped up.

"Morning." She said as she began to descend the stairs, trying to regain a semblance of composure.

"You seem to be in a hurry," Ikuno commented with a knowing smile.

"Do I?" She said, knowing that she wasn't fooling anybody. "What gives you that impression?"

Both Ichigo and Ikuno looked at each other, little smiles on their faces.

"There's only one thing or should I say, person that would make you leap stairwells," Ichigo said smiling at her.

She flushed with embarrassment. Maybe leaping down the stairs hadn't been the best idea. Resided to the fact that her rouse was up, she asked for the information that she was dying to know. "Do you know where Darling is?" She asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied apologetically. "I saw him this morning and he said that he had something really important to do."

She felt her heart hammering in her chest. Was there any way that he was looking for his memories of her? Could her precious Darling really be trying to remember her?"

"Oh, I saw him down by the training gym, this morning too." Ikuno piped up. "He told me that he had a meeting with Dr. Franxx."

Ice flooded her stomach. Dr. Franxx…. What could Darling possibly hope to gain from meeting with that man?

"Thank you." She said, beginning to descend the stairs. She needed to find Darling as quickly as possible. If anything happened to him…..

"Good luck." Both Ichigo and Ikuno smiled.

"Thanks." She answered, giving them a sweet smile. If their information was accurate, she owned both of them big time.

Quickly she dashed over to the elevators, and practically slammed the button for the main lobby. She waved to Ichigo and Ikuno as the doors shut, but as soon as the doors shut she started biting her fingernails nervously.

"Oh, Darling…. Darling…. Darling…" She muttered. "Please tell me your okay…"

Before the elevator doors had fully opened, she dashed out and began to charge off towards the command center. Not even bothering to knock or give any indications that she was entering, she dashed into the command center, her hair flying as she skidded to a stop.

Nana yelped in surprise at her sudden appearance, and Hachi jerked his head around as he heard his partner in distress.

"Zero Two." Nana said startled. "You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?"

"Where's Darling?" She demanded without preamble.

Dr. Franxx's voice interjected before Nana could answer. "I know where he went Zero Two. Please come with me. I'd like to talk to you."

Wary, she walked over to him and followed him into his office. Dr. Franxx gestured for her to take a seat, so she did, keeping herself perched, on the edge just in case she was forced to jump into action.

"Where is he?" She demanded. She needed to be forceful with this man. He was one of Papa's pets, and if she wanted anything from him, she would probably need to take it.

"He's in the Garden, as far as I'm aware." The Doctor looked down at his watch. "Actually he should be in the forest by now."

"Don't play games with me." She snapped. "Why did Darling come to meet with you, and where have you sent him?"

"All I did was point him in the right direction, for the answers he was looking for." The doctor said calmly.

"Don't screw." She snarled. "You no longer have any leverage over me anymore. I have what I want, and you're never taking him way again. Do you hear me!? You law one finger on him, and you'll feel my wrath."

The doctor smiled sadly, and she was momentarily taken aback by the sight of a tear sliding down his face. "I know…."

Her anger flared again. "You know! YOU KNOW! After everything you've done to me, you have the gall to say that to me! I swear if you hurt him, or touch him in any way; there won't be anything of you left to find."

The doctor nodded silently, tears streaming down his face. When he finally managed to speak his voice was thick with emotion and pain. "You have my word, that no harm will come to him."

She was about to snap at him again when she thought better of it. Currently Darling was not in a place where she could protect him, and she realized that letting her anger out on him while Darling was vulnerable was a bad idea. It also intrigued her that man who had experimented on her and then shipped her off to Papa, was now sitting in front of her sobbing like she had done after so many sleepless nights without Darling.

"Where did you send him?" She demanded, barely managing to take the hostilely out of her tone.

"I'll have him tell you that." The Doctor said, wiping the tears away from his eye. "I think he's been wanting to tell you that for a while."

Her new found patience was beginning to wear thin, again. "No. You're going to tell me now."

The doctor reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it with his non-mechanical hand. Disgusted she made to tear her hand away, but became momentarily startled when she spotted the pure expression of pain, and remorse etched on the doctor's face.

"Zero Two, please just this once I need you to trust me." The Doctor begged. He reached out with his other hand and began to cling to her as if his life depended on it. "Please, just this once, that's all I ask." He gulped and she could tell that whatever he was about to say, was going to cause him a great deal of pain. "If you want, you don't ever have to see me again... But please just this once, trust me."

She sat there stunned that the man that had tortured her and experimented on her, was sitting here, tears in his eyes, begging her to trust him. Why was he doing this? Why was Papa's right-hand man practically groveling at her feet begging for her trust?

"Why are you asking me to trust you?" She asked with only the slightest edge in her voice. "Better yet, why should I trust you?"

The doctor smiled sadly and thought for a few moments. "Because I made a mistake and the only way I can fix it is give you back what you always wanted..." The last few words trailed off in a sob.

The doctor took a few moments to compose himself and then looked up at her. "Go..." He said with a smile. "He'll be waiting for you, under the tree where you last saw him."

She was stunned. Darling... He was waiting for her...

"Why?..." She mumbled.

The doctor shook his head, "Go and don't look back. He's waiting for you." The doctor pressed a button on his desk, "Nana. Bring Zero Two a set of snow clothes."

A few moments later, Nana appeared holding the gear. Walking over to her, she placed it on her lap.

"You'd better hurry, or you might miss him," Nana said smiling. "His location has already been marked on your communicator's map."

Stunned she looked at Dr. Franxx. "Why would you do all this for me? Aren't I just your puppet?"

"No Zero Two. You aren't my puppet, and you'll never be."

"But.."

"No buts." He said cutting her off. "Just go. Go and reunite with him."

* * *

Hiro stumbled through the forest. His head felt like it was going to explode, and nothing made sense. Everything was a massive jumble of thoughts and emotions, he couldn't sort it all out. Nothing made sense. What had happened? He looked down at his communicator and the piece of paper in his hands.

"Please tell me that this final location will solve everything." He begged. "I need to remember her!"

Fighting to remain upright, he fought his way through the snow, trudging closer and closer to his destination. A few minutes later his communicator beeped, as he arrived at the marker that he had set on the map. Bewildered he looked around, searching for whatever trigger was here for him to find.

"Where is it?" He muttered.

As he looked around and spotted a clearing up ahead, and trudging through the snow, he made his way over to it.

"Where…."

As he looked around his eyes focused on a massive tree, in the middle of the clearing. For some reason, it looked familiar but he couldn't pin down why. Walking over he stood beneath it.

"Interesting." He muttered. "I wonder why…" Suddenly he was assaulted by pain, that made him feel like his head was going to be split in two. He let out an agonized scream, as his head throbbed and pulsated. Then suddenly he felt all the memories he had collected start aligning themselves and forming a clear picture of events. As this happened he stubbled and felt himself falling backward. The last thing he heard before he passed out was somebody's agonized, horror-filled scream of. "Darling!"

* * *

 _He sat against the blank wall, staring off into space thinking. He had so many questions that nobody ever answered. Every time he asked why he couldn't do something or questioned what he was being told, the caretakers always dismissed him with some worthless explanation about why he didn't need to know. And that was at the best of times. Usually, they just ignored him._

 _"_ _Hiro!" Naomi called, her chestnut hair bobbing, "Come play with us."_

 _He smiled. He was still getting used to thinking of this girl as Naomi instead of her code number. Even though he had given her that name, the hard part was remembering it. "I would like nothing better, but the caretakers said that I have an appointment soon."_

 _"_ _Yeah but now's not soon!" She bubbled grabbing his hand. "Come on."_

 _He chuckled and allowed himself to be led away. As they walked towards all the balls in the corner of the room, Naomi called out to other members of their playroom._

 _"_ _Come on guys, let's play ball." She sang._

 _"_ _I want the red one," Zorome shouted jumping to his feet._

 _"_ _That's the one I wanted," Miku complained._

 _"_ _Too bad, I'm going to get it first." Zorome teased._

 _"_ _No your not!" Miku shouted running for it._

 _Ichigo let out a tiny chuckle as she led a contented looking Goro by the hand, towards the balls that now everyone was converging on._

 _Everyone for what seemed like an eternity they had fun tossing the balls back and forth, playing games and other such physical activities. He was having so much fun with everybody that he didn't even notice what time it was until the caretaker came to get him._

 _"_ _Code 016." The caretakers called. The caretakers all had the same style of clothing. They all wore long blindingly white uniforms and lab coats. Their heads were covered with a white hat sort of thing that gave their heads a blocky appearance. Not even their faces were visible due to the fact that they all wore masks, that gave them all the same expressionless face. The only thing that distinguished them from one another was the rank strips to indicated who was in charge._

 _"_ _Coming." He called. Turning to his friends he waved. "See ya soon."_

 _"_ _Later." The all waved._

 _Walking over to the caretakers, they escorted him out of the playroom. As the walked, the caretaker gave him, a snow coat._

 _"_ _Am I going to get injections today too?" He asked slipping on the coat._

 _"_ _Yes, Code 016." The caretaker answered shortly._

 _Without saying another word both of them exited the orphanage and walked along the path that led to the lab. A blanket of snow covered everything except the path, leaving the entire surface of garden glistening. As they were about to enter the lab, he stared at the massive tree, that grew alongside the lab. He liked this tree. It just seemed to resonate an impressive aura, but at the same time was easily climbable which didn't make the tree intimidating._

 _"_ _Come Code 016." The caretaker demanded._

 _Following along the caretaker led him to an elevator and the rode it up a few floors before disembarking. Not saying a word the caretaker led him to a room with a blank white bed and some tables with injections needles on them. The caretaker gestured from him to take a seat so he did so._

 _"_ _I'm going to be giving you some injections, you'll be here for about a half an hour."_

 _He nodded and the caretaker began preparing with needles and other medical equipment._

 _Half an hour later the caretaker placed two hard candies into his hand and dismissed him. Exiting the room he looked around for the caretaker that would escort him back to the orphanage. The caretaker wasn't there, however. Not that it really mattered, he knew he to get back on his own. He as about to turn right back towards the elevators but something made him hesitate. For some reason, he had a burning desire to turn left down the hall and see what was at the other end. The way back to the orphanage was to the right but he had always been forbidden from going left. Was it worth the risk? Who knows what could lay at the end of the hallway._

 _"_ _Do it." A part of him urged._

 _Rebelliously he turned left and started off down the hall, his eyes and ears straining for any sign that he might be discovered. Lucky for him, nobody came to interrupt his quest and he was able to proceed without resistance._

 _Far ahead he saw an open door, a bright light obscuring what lay beyond. As he got closer, he heard the deafening whine of engines as something began landing in whatever lay beyond that bright light._

 _Afraid that he might miss whatever was landing he began sprinting down the hall, unconcerned with how much noise his feet were making. As he approached he was able to make out what he thought was one of APE's transports. Currently it sounded like its engines were powering down, and just ahead he could see a line of caretakers all waiting for whatever was going to disembark from the transport. The thought that he was running straight towards the caretakers who would most defiantly spot him, didn't even cross his mind. For some reason, he just knew that he needed to see what was about to disembark from that transport._

 _Bursting through the door he instantly realized that the room he was in was a giant hanger, and just as he had suspected, the whining noise was from one of APE's transports. Curious as to what everyone was waiting for he stealthily snuck up behind the caretakers. He made it just in time. As soon as he had taken position behind the caretakers, the transport's door opened with a hiss, and a massive ramp descended to the hangar floor. A few seconds later, a man with a half-mechanical face and leaning on a walking stick descended the ramp to the hangar._

 _When he got to the floor he turned and looked back towards where he had just come._

 _"_ _I'd like to do some tests before the sun is down." He said irritably. "If she won't come on her own, then put the collar on her and let's go."_

 _A few moments later, he heard something give and agony filled scream, proceeded by a torrent of guttural hatred filled hisses and growls. Those sounds almost made him cry out, in an attempt to soothe whatever could be filled with that much pain and hatred. He made a start forward but was startled into stopping when he saw a caretaker, walk down the ramp a chain in her hand. She didn't get very far however, because after walking a few steps the chain became taut and she was forced to stop to keep her hold on the chain. Turning the caretaker grabbed the chain with both hands, and yanked hard. There was an agonized choked scream, and out of nowhere a girl wearing a ragged black coat and about the same age as him was yanked out of the transport and was sent crashing head first onto the metal ramp._

 _He whimpered. How could anyone treat someone else like this? He made to start forward again, but as the girl stood up, he was shocked back into stillness. She didn't look like a normal human. Her skin was a regal shade of red, and cherry blossom pink hair cascade down her back. The part that fascinated him the most, however, was the ruby red horns that adorned her head, sticking up in defiance of the world around her._

 _The caretaker began walking again and this time the girl followed without resistance. She looked absolutely exhausted, and he could tell just by the way she was walking that she was on the verge of collapse._

 _As the girl was led further down the line, he began to follow them, trying to catch gasps of the girl between the caretaker's legs. As they got closer and closer to the main exit, he started to feel more and more desperate. He wanted to tell her that she wasn't alone, and somebody was here for her._

 _"_ _Hey." He called out desperately, not knowing what else to say._

 _The girl's head whipped around, and as she looked for the source of the noise their eyes locked. He let out an audible gasp. The girl's eyes were breathtakingly beautiful, sparkling deep emerald green, as she stared at him._

 _He stared back at her completely transfixed. She was so unique. But instead of being repulsed by it he found himself drawn to her. He couldn't pin down why, but he just got this feeling that she was special in some way._

 _As they continued to stare at each other, he saw the girl's face slacken a little bit, and some of the anger and hostility seemed to have left her face._

 _The chain became taut again as the girl slowed to examine him, so the caretaker gave a yank, to urge the girl back into movement. The girl chocked, as the collar tightened around her neck, and he watched horrified as her face became a mask of hatred and pain once again._

 _He started forward, if nobody in this line of people was going to help her then he would! His presences here seemed to finally have been noticed, however, because a caretaker grabbed his arm, and hauled him back._

 _"_ _You're supposed to be back in the orphanage." The caretaker said her voice stern._

 _"_ _That girl!" He yelled, afraid as to what might happen to her. "Where are they taking her? What are they going to do to her?"_

 _"_ _That's none of your business." The caretaker said. "Besides don't you want to be with the rest of the children?"_

 _He whipped around and frantically began to try and find the girl. By the time he did, however, the last thing he saw was the girls struggling to get away from the caretaker, as the main exit's doors closed sealing her away from him._

 _"_ _Code 016." The caretaker said. "It's time you return to the orphanage."_

 _He stared at the door for a few more moments before he let himself be led away. He realized that if he struggled he might be punished for it._

 _"_ _She fought though." A little voice said in his head._

 _As they walked back to the orphanage, he obsessed over that thought and resolved to never forget that girl and to find some way to see her again._

* * *

 _Serval days pasted. Serval long days. He had also begun to notice a pattern. Every day they'd take him out of the orphanage and over to the lab, where'd they'd run tests on him, or inject things into his arm. The part that kind of bothered him was that he wasn't exactly sure what they were doing to him. What made it even more suspicious was that all these new tests had started the day after he had first seen that girl with the red skin and ruby red horns._

 _"_ _Alright Code 016, you're free to go." The caretaker said giving him two pieces of hard candy._

 _"_ _Thank you." He said, faking gratitude._

 _Getting up he walked over to the door and stepped out into the hallway. He waited a few seconds waiting for the second caretaker who usually escorted him back to the orphanage to call his code. After a few more moments of waiting, he looked around and saw that nobody was standing there waiting for him. A flush of excitement ran through him. Was nobody really here? Was this the opportunity that he had been waiting for?_

 _Excited and nervous he looked back at the caretaker who had just injected him. Luckily for him, she was preoccupied with cleaning up after his appointment and was too busy to notice anything he was about to do. Scanning the hallway one last time he turned left away from the exit back to the orphanage, and deeper into the heart of the laboratory. Nobody made any move to stop him, and after walking for a few minutes he was confident that he had escaped anyone's notice._

 _His new found confidence began to fade after he had spent over ten minutes walking without any sign of the red girl. He realized with a sense of dread, that even though he had escaped the caretakers, that didn't necessarily mean that he would just find what he was looking for._

 _"_ _Darn it." He muttered, walking blindly forward having no idea what he was going. "Where is she? And how can one building be so massive?"_

 _Just then he heard voices of two caretakers having a discussion, from the hall ahead of him. Startled he frantically looked for the best place to hide. Today was his lucky day. Currently the lights in the hall he was in where off, so if he could manage to conceal himself in some shadows, he should be virtually invisible to anybody who gave the hall a cursory glance. Hurriedly he backed up, and retreated into the shadows of a doorway, hoping beyond hope that nobody would walk down this hallway and find him._

 _Realizing that he had nothing better to do, he listened in on the caretakers' conversation._

 _"_ _When do you think we'll manage to break her?" One caretaker said._

 _"_ _I hope soon rather than later." The other one said. "That monthly bleeding of hers. Do you have any idea how hard it is to clean her when she fighting you every step of the way?"_

 _"_ _Haven't had to do that job yet." The first one said. "Shouldn't we just put her in a room with a shower and let her deal with it herself?"_

 _"_ _I've suggested that to him. But I think the doctor is still trying to break her through isolation. That room has a toilet and nothing else, if we can manage to break her will, we'll have her under control for sure."_

 _"_ _Wait a minute doesn't she have that book? Why don't we try taking that away?"_

 _"_ _We threaten her with it." The second one explained. "If it's the only thing she cares about, and we take it away, she'll do anything to get it back. Dr. Franxx wants to build her dependency on it some more before we take that step."_

 _"_ _So then why don't we give her a shower and forgo the cleaning duty, if we're just using the book?"_

 _"_ _It all stacks on top of each other. Tools that don't cooperate need to be broken, and for her, we've had to resort to this trio of misery to hopefully break her."_

 _There was a pause. "You know I've been wondering something. Why does this creature that Dr. Franxx made have Franxx bleeding before she's ever touched a Franxx?"_

 _"_ _Please." The second one said. "She's barely a step above being an animal. Don't except human logic to apply to a monster."_

 _"_ _Why are we even bothering with her anyway?"_

 _"_ _Dr. Franxx thinks she will be some sort of super soldier. How he plans to get her to cooperate is beyond me, but I'm sure he'll think of something."_

 _There was another pause. "By the way do you know what room Dr. Franxx is doing his experiments in today? I'm on duty in a few hours and I forgot the room number."_

 _"_ _Uh…. I believe they're in Room 215 If I remember correctly."_

 _"_ _Thanks." The first one said._

 _Hiro had a very uneasy feeling about that whole conversation. He had barely understood any of it, but he instinctually knew that he didn't like the sound of it. They were doing something to that girl, and he had a gut feeling that it wasn't good. He now, however, had the information that he had been looking for. The girl was in Room 215. Excited, he looked at the room number he was hiding by. Room 185. That meant he was relatively close. Bringing his attention back to the caretakers he noticed that their voices had begun to fade off as they continued to walk down the hall. Cautiously he worked his way out from his hiding place and towards the juncture where the two halls met. Taking a moment to scout he saw that the room numbers increased if he went right. Taking one last look around to make sure he wasn't followed, he started off down the hall, hoping that he would find the room where they were keeping that girl._

 _Cautiously he silently made his way down the hall, counting each room numbers as he pasted it._

 _"_ _205, 206, 207, 208." He whispered._

 _Abruptly he heard somebody ahead shout. Ice flooded his stomach, and he froze glued to the floor. Had he been discovered? Carefully he listened to the shouts trying to distinguish what they were saying._

 _"_ _Strap her down!" Somebody shouted._

 _"_ _Give me a minute, I can't get her arm to stay still!"_

 _He heard the girl's screams of hatred and pain, as she fought to be free of her captors._

 _"_ _Would somebody knock her out please!?" The second one shouted._

 _"_ _No." A mechanical voice said over the girl's screams. "I want her conscious for the upcoming tests."_

 _"_ _Can we at least gag her." One of the caretakers panted._

 _Whoever was giving the orders must have given consent because after a few moments the girl's screams were cut off to the point where he couldn't hear them._

 _There were another few moments of struggling as he heard somebody wresting to control what he presumed was a failing limb, but eventually, he heard the caretakers give a sigh, of relief._

 _"_ _Alright, let's hook her up." Said the person with the mechanical voice. "Attach the electrical pads first, but leave her hand free, I'd like to test her healing factor more."_

 _"_ _No…." He whispered horrified. He'd only ever seen the girl once, but that one time was enough for him to know what it sounded like when she was in pain. The memory of how they had treated her was carved into him. He would forever recognize that sound._

 _Quickly and forgetting completely about stealth he ran the rest of the way to Room 215. He was about to try and open the door when he saw that the side of the room was a glass wall. Inching his way over he peered in, and let out a pained grown at the site before him._

 _The girl was naked and strapped to an operating table so tightly that she looked like she could barely move. Somebody had wrapped some sort of strap around her mouth and tightened it so that if she couldn't make more than muffled screams. Some sort of thing with sharp looking needles every few inches was strapped to her, the scariest part about it was that wires ran from needle to needle and he knew that device was going to cause more pain than just stabbing._

 _"_ _Alright, let's get started." The person with the mechanical voice said._

 _Out of nowhere a machine descended from the ceiling and shone a laser on one of her exposed hands. Powerless to do anything to prevent it, he stood frozen in place. Helpless, he heard the machine give a click, and something was fired into her hand, blowing a hole straight through it. The girl let out an agonized scream and tried to struggle uselessly against her bonds. Tears of pain and anguish, cascade from her eyes and rolled down the side of her head._

 _"_ _Wonderful!" The person with the mechanical voice shouted. "Her healing abilities, are even more phenomenal than I thought!"_

 _He poked his head even further around the corner and saw just in time the hole that the machine had made, healing leaving nothing more than a few drops of blood. If it wasn't for the fact that he was watching this poor girl being tortured, he might have been impressed, but right now all he could feel was anger and disgust towards all the people who were doing this to her._

 _"_ _Let's test her nerves." Said the mechanical voiced figure. "Activate on my mark."_

 _One of the caretakers started touching a panel and he saw with great trepidations the device strapped to her body lit up._

 _"_ _Mark."_

 _The needles electrified and stabbed half their length into her body, searing large patches of nerves discoloring parts of her skin, as cells died. The girl writhed in pain, and let out a blood-curdling scream. She screamed and screamed and screamed until she started choking on what was gagging her. Desperately she dragged in air, doing everything she could to keep herself alive. Even while she was choking however, her body again healed itself again, restoring her skin and replacing her dead cells._

 _He watched her, his lips trembling as tears cascade down his face. How could they do this to her!? What person could possibly inflict this kind of treatment upon someone else!? His face contorted in pain and fury. He was going to put a stop to this. This was not okay! Nobody had the right to do this to someone else!_

 _Determined to put an end to this he rushed over to the door and slammed the controls. The door opened with a hiss, and he dashed into the room, already yelling for them to stop hurting her. "Why are you doing this to her!? Please stop, can't you see you're hurting her!? What did she do to deserve this!?_

 _"_ _Code 016!" Shouted one of the caretakers. "What are you doing here!? Return to the orphanage this instant!"_

 _"_ _Not without her I'm not." He demanded thinking fast._

 _He scanned the room noting everybody's expressions. The caretakers wore their same expressionless face, but right now that face looked stern and disapproving. The man with the half mechanical face was giving him an interested look, almost as if he was examining something. Lastly, he looked at the girl lying on the table. She stared at him anger and pain piercing through him, as she glared at this newcomer._

 _"_ _Code 016." The second caretaker said sternly. "Leave now."_

 _"_ _No!"_

 _The caretakers started forward, closing in on him so that they could forcibly remove him from the room._

 _Desperately he launched himself forward ducking under the caretakers before they could grab him._

 _"_ _It's going to be okay!" He sobbed to the little girl, running up to her. "I promise you'll be okay."_

 _The girl stared at him her eyes filled with pain and anger._

 _Desperately before they could grab him, he gently stroked her cheek, trying to communicate through feeling alone that somebody was here for her. As he stroked her cheek her eyes went wide and he saw just for a moment her eyes lose their anger and hatred, replaced with curiosity as she felt this feeling of kindness and tenderness for the first time._

 _"_ _I promise it's going to be okay." He sobbed into her ear._

 _Just then the caretaker's grabbed him and forcibly dragged him away from her._

 _"_ _Let go of me!" He yelled furiously_

 _"_ _Sir, I recommend sending Code 016, for reconditioning." A caretaker said, pinning his arms behind him._

 _The man with the mechanical face still stared at him, with immense interest, almost as if studying him. "No…. Just return him to the orphanage, this is quite an interesting anomaly, I'd like to investigate it further when I have the time." He turned to another of the caretakers. "Make special note of this one, and set some reminders in my schedule. I'd like to test him, whenever we manage to control her."_

 _Fear and anger flooded his stomach. So he was their next test subject? After they finished with her they were going to come for him. Almost instantly millions of thoughts rushed through his mind. How was he supposed to get out of this? Maybe he could appeal to Papa, and get him to put a stop to this. Surely the man who cared for all the children would stop this injustice. But then, wasn't everybody under Papa's command? If that was the case then maybe he knew about this and was allowing it to happen. No! That couldn't be possible. These people must have joined the Klaxosaurs and were trying to overthrow Papa. But wait a minute! How did this mechanical faced man, convince all the caretakers to join him. Everybody was loyal to Papa. This one man couldn't possibly have convinced all these caretakers to join him on his evil quest. But that left the only explanation being that Papa was aware of this and allowing it to happen. But how could he have allowed this to happen!?_

 _"_ _As you wish Sir." They said dragging him away._

 _They forcefully cared him, all the way back to the orphanage and practically threw him into the room, where everyone else was. He crashed to the floor was a meaty smack, and before he could even recover, the caretakers locked the enclosure so he couldn't get out._

 _"_ _Hiro!" Ichigo said startled._

 _Groaning he picked himself up and stood. By now everybody in the enclosure had gathered around him, all curious as to why he had just been forcefully thrown into the room._

 _"_ _What's going on Hiro?" Goro asked._

 _He sniffed quietly to himself in amusement at the reply he was about to give. "Oh, I've just been getting some extra special, treatment." He said, his voice ladened with sarcasm._

 _He looked up, Ichigo and Goro looked unconvinced, and everyone else just looked confused._

 _Zorome took his answer at face value and said his voice incredulous. "But I performed better than you did on our piloting demo, why are you getting special treatment?"_

 _"_ _Oh because I'm just an anomaly." He said bitterly, think of what that mechanical faced man had said._

 _"_ _Hiro, you're starting to scare me," Ichigo said, sounding immensely concerned._

 _He took a deep breath. He needed to keep his cool. Nobody else knew what he had seen and they all still thought that the caretakers were here to nurture them and help them prepare for the fight against the Klaxosaurs. After what he had seen however, he knew that something more was going on. Something far darker. Whether Papa was attached to it he was unsure. But he did know now that, dark things could take place at the Garden, and nobody would ask questions or even notice it at all._

 _"_ _I'm fine." He said leveling his voice. Thinking fast he tried to come up with an explanation that would appease everyone around him. "I had an appointment and Papa said that he had big plans for me. He didn't go into specifics but he said it was a great honor. In truth, I was a little scared but I'm all better now."_

 _Quickly he scanned the faces of everyone around him. It seemed that his story had passed for a satisfactory examination. With the sole exceptions being Ichigo, Goro, and Zorome. Both Ichigo and Goro looked disbelieving, and he got the uncomfortable feeling that they knew he was lying. It's was Zorome's face that hurt the most, however. The look of jealousy and resentment that Zorome gave him, was terrifying. Instantly he knew that he had messed up, and messed up bad. He was an idiot for not remembering that Zorome was extremely self-conscious about his high code number, and was constantly working to prove to the caretakers that he was worthy of becoming a parasite. And due to the fact that Zorome was working so hard, he got extremely jealous of anybody who was stealing the spotlight away from him thus hurting his chances of becoming a parasite. Because he knew this information he could see why Zorome was going to be extremely resentful of him. He had just told Zorome that the supreme spotlight, Papa had personally talked to him and told him that he was bound to do great things. To the egocentric Zorome, that news was bound to cut deep._

 _For a moment, just a moment he thought about tell Zorome that what he just said was a lie. At the last second, however, he thought better of it. The girl who he had just witnessed being tortured deserved his attention and affection. Zorome would just have to learn to deal with it and move on for once._

 _"_ _Are you sure you're okay Hiro?" Goro asked still concerned._

 _He sighed. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed."_

 _"_ _Well tell us if you need anything," Ichigo added._

 _He nodded. "Sure thing… Thank you."_

* * *

 _Serval more days passed, and throughout that time he had been subject to, even more, rigorous testing. Luckily they hadn't started testing him as they had done to that poor girl, but the fact that they were testing him still made him uneasy. They also no longer took any chances that he could explore the lab again. A caretaker was always by the door waiting for him and would escort him out of the lab, and then lock the lab door behind him. Thankfully they hadn't started escorting him all the way back to the orphanage. I liked that few minutes to himself to just think without anyone else around, and lucky those few minutes he had been allowed to preserve. Even if he was thankful for the few minutes to walk alone that he was allowed, it didn't change the fact that they had now made it impossible for him to try and find that girl._

 _"_ _Hey, Hiro did you notice that Sasha was just removed from our ward?" Goro asked._

 _"_ _No, I didn't," He asked concerned. "When did that happen?"_

 _"_ _Just this morning," Goro answered. "While you were in the lab, they took her away."_

 _"_ _Did you ask why?" He asked knowing the answer._

 _"_ _No, I didn't," Goro said. "I figured that Papa needed her for something and decided to remove her."_

 _He sniffed in amusement at his ability to predict that answer. Nobody around here ever asked any questions._

 _"_ _Hey, guys!" Ichigo called running up to join them. "What are you guys up to?"_

 _"_ _Nothing much," Goro answered. "I just left a book I was looking for by my bed and Hiro decided to accompany me."_

 _"_ _Nice." She commented falling in line with them. "I left one of my teddy bears behind."_

 _Hiro smiled. If Ichigo was fond of one thing it would be her teddy bears. Although, now that he thought about it. Goro might be up there too. Ichigo seemed to have a special fondness for him, that seemed kind of different from normal friendship. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he was reasonably certain that if she had to choose between her two friends, Goro would probably be the favorite._

 _As they turned into the ward, they immediately noticed that something was off. The bed of one of the children that had slept with them was empty, and a caretaker was removing the sheets leaving the bed completely barren._

 _"_ _Another one," Goro muttered._

 _"_ _It's such a shame to keep losing our friends like this," Ichigo said sadly._

 _He had enough. Why did the adults never answer his questions? Why was he the only one asking them?_

 _Irritated he marched into the room and grabbed the caretakers sleeve. "Where is Tania?" He demanded._

 _"_ _That is none of your concern. Papa will take good care of 979." The caretaker said brushing him off and leaving the room._

 _"_ _Typical." He muttered. "Nobody ever gave him answers. They just ignored him or refused to answer his questions._

 _He was so sick and tired of this crap. The stuff that the caretakers were doing needed explanations. Never answering his questions, taking children away, and by far the worst torturing that girl. If he didn't get answers soon, then he was going to make them._

 _Late that night he was lying awake in bed unable to sleep. The last vestiges of his patience had run out about halfway through dinner. And ever since then he had been obsessing over how to find that girl with the red skin. He was through with this sitting around and waiting. He was going to do something about it, and if the caretakers decided that he was no longer worthy of piloting a Franxx then he would get to find out where all those children disappeared to. The hard part now would be finding a way to see that girl again._

 _"_ _Then what?" Part of him asked. "What do we do if we find her?"_

 _"_ _We rescue her." The other part stated firmly._

 _Even he was surprised by his own daring. Was that even possible? And even if it was, what would be the consequences of that action?_

 _"_ _It doesn't matter what the consequences are. It's the right thing to do."_

 _He let out a sigh and rolled over. "Alright. Let's do it." He looked up at the ceiling and pretended that his words would reach the red girl's ears and whispered. "I don't know who you are or what you are, but I while find a way to save you from the caretakers. I don't know what I'll do, but a will find a way."_

 _With that, he rolled over and fell asleep. He was going to have a long few days coming up. It was best to get some rest._

* * *

 _"_ _Hey, Hiro," Naomi called. "Are you going to put in your request for present day?"_

 _Right now everyone was gathered around a small console where the could submit their requests for present day. He, however, had no idea, what he wanted. As he stood there thinking a thought washed over him. Maybe he could request that red girl. That thought was instantly shot down, however. The chances that they would give her to him were slim to none, and that's if he was lucky._

 _"_ _I'll think of something." He said giving Naomi a smile. Starting forward he stood at the back of the line, still having no idea what to request._

 _As he stood in line a thought occurred to him about his plan to rescue the girl. What am I going to do once I manage to take her away from the caretakers? He stood there mulling that thought over in his mind as he slowly inched forward towards the console. But before he even knew it, it was his turn, and he was still had no idea what to ask for. Absentmindedly he began searching through the suggested section, having no idea what to pick. He wasn't scrolling for long when a suggestion jumped out at him._

 _A backpack. For some reason, that suggestion caught his interest. He shrugged._

 _"_ _Why not." He muttered. Clicking on it he chose the style and color that he wanted. He ended up going with, a red backpack that had numerous sets of pockets and sleeves. Satisfied he made his way over to where Naomi and all the others were sitting and began playing cards with them._

 _It wasn't long however before the caretakers came to collect him, for his next set of injections. Resigned to his fate he followed them out towards the lab. Nothing of interest happened on his way there, aside from the fact that he pocketed two pretty looking stones along the way. They were nice and smooth and easy to hold in the hand. They would be a nice addition to his collection of pretty looking things._

 _About a half an hour later the caretaker booted him from the lab and locked the door behind her. Sighing he began to work his way back to the orphanage but something made him stop. Curiously he looked around and his eyes came to rest on the massive tree._

 _"_ _Hmm." He grunted. More out of boredom than anything else he let his eyes climb the trees bare branches as he slowing examined just how tall this thing really was._

 _About halfway up his eyes were diverted by a weird horizontal window that looked like it took up most of the wall on a room that was jutting out from the rest of the structure._

 _"_ _I wonder what that is for." He muttered._

 _More because he was bored and had nothing better to do he made his way over to the tree and did his best to climb. It was tediously slow going, but eventually, he managed to work his way up to a branch where he could look into the room. Before he did, however, he glanced around from his high vantage point around the Garden. In the distance surrounding both the lab and the orphanage, a massive forest of evergreens stretched out for so long that he couldn't see the end. Besides that however, everything else was covered in a thick blanket of snow._

 _"_ _What an amazing view." He whispered._

 _After a few more minutes of gazing around, he brought his attention back to the room that was in front of him. The whole room from floor to ceiling was the most boring grey he had ever seen, and after a few moments of looking at it, he quickly got tired of it. Searching the rest of the room, he noticed that it was completely empty with the sole exception being a toilet. His heart leaped into his mouth. He knew of a room that had been described exactly like this one, and if he was correct the very person that he had been looking for resided in this room._

 _Quickly he scanned the room again, to see if he could spot the girl, but to no avail. Still, he was willing to bet that this was her room, and the reason for her not being here was that the caretakers had her elsewhere._

 _He sat on the branch thinking. This would be the easiest way to rescue the girl. If he could break the glass then all he would have to do is get the girl out the window and they could be free. First, however he needed to check to see if this really was glass. Pulling one of the stones out of his pocket, he threw it at the window. A moment later he heard the rock hit the window and make a "tink" sound._

 _"_ _Good.." He muttered. "At least we know it's glass."_

 _As he sat there thinking about what to do next, the door into the room opened, and a caretaker was visible in the doorway. Scared out of his mind, he flattened himself against the branch and held his breath, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed. The caretaker, however, wasn't paying attention to him and was fighting to drag something into the room. A moment later he spotted the red girl, trying to escape from the caretaker, struggling to get her hand free. Heartbroken he watched as the caretaker hauled the girl into the center of the room, and released the girl. Before the girl had time to recover from being freed, the caretaker reached down the girl's coat and pulled out a book. Turning the caretaker began to walk away. He watched sicken by what he was seeing, as the girl let out an agony filled horrified scream, and desperately launched herself at the caretaker, grabbing the book and refusing to let go. The girl fought refusing to let go of the book, sobbing and crying, with an expression of pure unadulterated fear. Finally, the caretaker seemed to give up, and let go of the book. Instantly the girl hugged the book to her chest and collapsed into a ball, shielding the book so that there was no chance that it could be taken away again. The caretaker seemed to lose interest and walked out of the room, the door hissing shut behind her. Once the caretaker was safely clear of the room, the girl relaxed her guard and held the book out in front of her so she could look at. For the first time, he saw it. Pure joy washed over her face, and tears of relief and happiness slowly fell from her eyes._

 _He sat on the branch completely transfixed by the slight of her smile. It was the cutest, most adorable thing he had ever seen. The face that she was making right now. A face of pure happiness and joy was something that needed to be preserved. He vowed at that moment that he would protect that smile. If he had any misgivings about trying to rescue this girl, all of them disappeared the instant he saw her face. It no longer mattered how he would do it. All that mattered was that he did do it._

 _As he sat on the branch watching the girl, the final parts of his plan starting coming together. When he had finally finalized it he reached into his pocket._

 _"_ _There's only one last thing I need to test." He muttered, grabbing the last stone from his pocket._

 _Taking aim at the corner of the glass window, he threw the rock as hard as he could._

 _It hit the corner, and he heard a loud "crack". Eagerly he inspected the damage he had done. A large crack had formed from were his stone had hit. He smiled elatedly with his success. If his little smooth stone had managed to make a crack that big, then he could defiantly break this window. All he would need was a bigger rock, and he would probably bust right through._

 _His testing of the windows strength had not gone unnoticed, however. When the girl heard the sound, her head jerked up and she let out an angry growl, searching for whatever might threaten her or her book. As she searched for the threat their eyes locked. Instantly her lips curled in a snarl and anger flashed across her face. But as they stared at each other, her face began to relax slightly. She recognized him. Even if she didn't know who he was, she recognized his face. It was the face that had touched her with the gentlest and most caring touch she had ever known._

 _He gazed completely transfixed by her beautiful emerald green eyes. He just couldn't look away. Every time he tried he found himself being drawn further in. Almost without his knowledge he found himself scooting farther and farther down the branch until he was pressed against the window. At the same time, the girl stood up, and made her way over to the other side of the window, still clutching her book. Transfixed they both studied each other, he marveling at how adorable she was, and she studying the person who had treated with an emotion that she had never experienced before._

 _Trying to be close to her, he reached out his hand and touched the glass right in front of her. Although he knew that she would never hear him, he said. "I'll find a way for you to be free. It'll just be the two of us. Everyone else might be content with living like this, but I know that we're different." He took a deep breath. "Would you be willing to escape from the garden with me?"_

 _Miraculously the girl reached up with her little hand and touched the glass on the other side of his hand. Maybe it was just coincidence, or maybe she was just curious, but the fact that she had reciprocated his gesture filled his heart with hope. Smiling he leaned his forehead up against the window, smiling at her. Mimicking him she attempted to press her forehead, against the glass, but her ruby red horns got in the way making it impossible for her to touch her head to the glass. Confused as to why it wasn't working she banged her head against the glass trying to force her way through, but her horns foiled her plans again. Irritated that she couldn't touch the glass, she kept banging her horns against it; thinking that eventually, it would work._

 _He smiled. This girl was absolutely adorable. Content he drew his head away, to keep her from hurting herself, and instead just stared into her eyes, as she stared back at him._

 _After serval long minutes, he slowly began to back away. The girl seemed to protest and made an angry grunting noise. It was clear that she didn't want this person who was making her experience things that she'd never experienced before to go._

 _"_ _I'm sorry." He said to the girl. "I need to go. If I'm gone too long they'll get suspicious."_

 _He reached out his hand one more time and imagined that he was beaming his words into her mind. "I'll come to rescue you; I promise. I only need a little more time… I will come for you. I promise."_

 _This time when he began to back away, the girl didn't protest, instead, she just watched him. Slowly and not taking his eyes off her more than he needed to, he made his way back down the tree, and to the ground. Reluctantly he began to make his way back to the orphanage. About halfway back, he stopped and looked back at the girl. She stood at her window watching him._

 _"_ _I promise." He whispered._

 _Turning he continued his way back to the orphanage, on the way however the sight of one of the walkway lights stopped him. The walkway light looked pretty heavy and was only being supported by a thin stand. Pretending like nothing was wrong he walked over to it and gave it a hard kick with his boot. It bent. Quickly he checked to make sure that nobody was watching him. Spotting nobody, he gave the light a few more hard kicks and with a crack, he heard the fragile stand break. Elated that he had his heavy object, he picked it up._

 _"_ _This should do.." He said with a smirk._

 _Carrying it, he walked back to the orphanage, but just before he got to the door, walked off the path and buried the light in some snow, on the right side of the door._

 _"_ _Remember that it's here." He muttered, smoothing out the snow and walking back to the main path._

 _Standing front of the orphanage door, he turned and looked to where he knew the girl was standing._

 _"_ _I'll come for you soon." He whispered to her. "Just give me a little time to prepare and when I'm ready I'll come for you."_

 _Turning around he walked back into the orphanage._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 13 of The Jian Bird.

Sorry for the delay I had some college finals that were really eating at my time.

As you probably guessed, This is part one of the Beast and the Prince. My original plan was to do this all in one chapter, but as I kept writing I realized that If I was to do that this would be a ridiculously long chapter. So I've decided to split this up into two parts. I'll try to get the second part out as soon as possible. Currently, I'm on spring break so I'll be able to produce the next chapter faster.

Stay tuned for Chapter 14 of The Jian Bird: The Beast and the Prince Part 2


	14. Chapter 14: The Beast and the Prince Pt2

_Present day at the orphanage was in full effect, every kid in his dorm was excitedly opening their present from Papa. Everybody always got what they requested. It was Papa's form of gratitude to show that he was thankful for their willingness to pilot the FRANXXs._

 _Hiro smiled down at a red backpack that he had gotten for his present. This is exactly what he needed. When he and the girl managed to escape, they would need some supplies to last them to the end of their journey. What better way to carry said supplies than in a backpack._

 _"Oh, you couldn't have come at a more perfect time." He whispered to the backpack._

 _Frankly, he was still marveling at how lucky he was that he had requested the very thing he needed before he ever knew that he needed it._

 _"Why did you ask for a backpack?" Ichigo asked, holding a new teddy bear in her arms._

 _He shrugged. "I didn't know what to get so I just flicked through the suggestions until I found something."_

 _She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? Of all the things on that list you chose that?"_

 _"I think it's cool." A shy Mitsuru said._

 _"Thank you." He said with joking relief. "Somebody understands me."_

 _"I kind of wish, I'd asked for that too," Mitsuru added, looking slightly embarrassed._

 _"Don't worry." He said giving Mitsuru a smile. "There's always next year."_

 _Mitsuru gave a small smile, but he could see a lot of pain and sadness hidden behind that expression._

 _"Is something wrong?" Ichigo asked, noticing the same sadness that he had._

 _Mitsuru shifted uncomfortably. "I…. I… Um… I h-haven't been doing very well on the tests lately… I'm… I'm afraid that Papa might take me away." Tears were sliding down his face, and he looked like he was making a massive effort to keep from sobbing. "I don't want to leave… I don't want the caretakers to take me away."_

 _His heart ached for his friend. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to feel the threat of being deemed obsolete. To feel like you were so worthless that Papa would discard you._

 _Mitsuru's struggle against his tears was becoming a futile effort and his body began to tremble with racking sobs._

 _Quickly he stood up, and pulled Mitsuru into a hug, pulling the boy close to his chest to hide his tears from anyone else in the dorm._

 _Now that Mitsuru was shielded from everyone else he began sobbing, his whole body convulsing and shaking in Hiro's arms._

 _"Shh…" He whispered in the ear of the sobbing Mitsuru. "It's going to be okay…"_

 _"Yeah.." Ichigo said. Rubbing Mitsuru on the back, contributing her connection and support to him as well. "You won't be taken away, I promise."_

 _Mitsuru dragged in a shaky breath, struggling to regain control of himself, from all of his fears suddenly bursting out at once. After another few moments, Mitsuru finally managed to drag himself out of his momentary fit of despair._

 _Hiro, felt Mitsuru give him an extra hard squeeze before the boy finally let go._

 _"Thanks, guys," Mitsuru said, hurriedly wiping the tears from his eyes._

 _"No worries." He said with a smile. "We're happy to be here to support you."_

 _Mitsuru gave him an affectionate smile, and then all three of them went off to join the rest of the group._

* * *

 _He rubbed his arm, where the caretaker had given him his injections. He had just got back from the lab and was walking back towards the enclosure where everybody was playing._

 _"Stupid injections.." He muttered._

 _What were they even for, and why were they giving him so many? He felt absolutely no difference before or after, so what was the point? Maybe that meant they weren't working?  
_

 _"Oh, whatever." He muttered. "I'll be gone soon anyway."_

 _As he was walking he spotted a caretaker pushing a cart with piles of clothes that she had presumably just collected from all their dorms. Ignoring her he walked past and continued towards his destination._

 _He hadn't gotten very far, however, when a thought occurred to him. If I'm running away with the little girl, then she'll need a change of clothes and some snow gear. Slowly he turned around and watched as the caretaker began to leave._

 _"Today's my lucky day." He whispered triumphantly._

 _Carefully he started off after the caretaker, following far enough behind to keep her in view, but not close enough that he would be suspected of following her. As he followed her he kept himself on high alert, his eyes scanning for any sign that he might be spotted or that somebody else was following him._

 _Luckily nobody challenged him during his pursuit, and he was able to follow the caretaker._

 _Suddenly she stopped and touched a control panel on the wall. A door slid open and the caretaker began maneuvering the cart so that she could enter the room._

 _Immediately he felt the urge to rush forward but he stopped himself. If he ran now she would see him and he would be caught. Slowly the cart and then the caretaker disappeared into the room, and he was completely in the clear. The only thing he had to do now was get to the room before the door closed. Running he charged off down the hall towards the door, hoping beyond hope that he could get there in time._

 _"Come on. Come on." He urged, trying to gain even more speed._

 _He was only about three feet away from the door when it slid shut with a hiss. Silently he cursed as he skidded to a halt in front of the door. What was he supposed to do now? He needed to get that girl clothes but his only way of getting her any had just closed. What was he supposed to do!?_

 _"Stop.." He hissed to himself. "Slow down and think."_

 _He stood facing the door blankly for a few moments, not entirely sure what he should do._

 _"It's probably not as easy as pressing the controls." He muttered. Looking off to his right he spotted them, and sure enough, a code was required to get through the door. "Hmmm…."_

 _"What to do… What to do.." He muttered._

 _After a minute of thinking came to the only possible solution that he could. He'd have to wait until the caretaker exited the room, and then slip in before the door closed. He gave a sigh. That plan would rely on a lot of luck. A lot of things would need to go his way for it to work. And that wasn't even to mention the fact that his whole plan relied on the caretaker not looking to the right. To confound his problem, even more, his whole plan relied on nobody else being in or walking in the room while he was in there._

 _"Breath Hiro. Breath." He whispered._

 _Best to not think about it and just do it._

 _Silently he waited, barely breathing trying to make as little noise as possible. Just when he was about to give up, the door to the room opened with a hiss. Backing away ever so slightly to hopefully keep out of sight of the caretaker._

 _"Just turn left." He mouthed. "Just turn left."_

 _His unbelievable luck held. The caretaker miraculously just walked out and turned left immediately almost like a robot._

 _Almost not believe at how stupidly lucky he was, he quickly dashed into the room. He was just in time because a second later the door hissed shut behind him. Breathing a massive sigh of relief he looked around at the spoils of his victory. He stood in a room, filled with what looked like some massive machine. The clothes that the caretaker had just brought in were at one end of the machine, and at the end, he saw stacks of the white clothing everyone wore._

 _Elated at his success if made his way to the other end of the machine and found clothes all arranged by size, in neat stacks._

 _He broad smile crossed his face. He couldn't have asked for an easier solution. After staring at the pile for a few moments however his smile faded slightly. He had no idea, what size clothing would fit the girl._

 _Walking towards the girls' section of clothing he gazed at the different sizes, still not entirely sure what to get her. Struggling he did his best to recall how big the girl really was. The first memory he recalled was when he was on the branch and they were staring at each other. Unfortunately what wasn't going to really give him the information he needed. The black coat thing that she wore was baggy and oversized. He scowled in disgust. They had probably made it so big to make her feel as exposed as possible even when she was wearing something._

 _Regretfully and trying to spend as little time as possible thinking about it, he let his mind flick to the memory of her being tortured completely naked. Doing his best to not relive the worst parts of that memory he tried to picture what kind of clothes she would fit into._

 _Finally having a picture of her in his mind, he opened his eyes and selected a set of clothes that looked like they might hopefully fit. Satisfied that he had a complete set for both of them, he made his way over to another part of the room and found snow gear, all folded in neat piles._

 _As he stared at it he realized that he had a problem. A major problem. There was no way that he would be able to carry a set of clothes and snow gear for both of them back to his dorm.  
_

 _"Damn." He muttered._

 _This would probably be his only chance to come in here, and he couldn't afford to risk another attempt. He stood there thinking for a few minutes but he eventually came to a decision._

 _"You need this more than I do." He whispered, putting back the clothes he had grabbed for himself. Satisfied that he had made the right decision he walked back over to the piles of snow gear and took out complete set for her._

 _By now his arms were pretty full, but he convinced himself that he had just a little more room. He glanced at the pile assessing what he might need._

 _Snow pants, he decided. Reaching an arm forward he grabbed a pair of snow pants for himself. He'd probably get away with wearing whatever gear, the caretakers provided him on his walk to the lab, but snow-pants were probably not something they were going to provide him._

 _Satisfied that he had everything, he made his way back over to the exit and stood in front of the door. Thankfully after a few agonizing seconds, it slid open for him, and he was able to walk out without resistance. Elated that he had managed to pull this off, he carefully made his way back to the dorm, only having to carefully time his entrance into one corridor with a caretaker. Entering his dorm he made his way over to his bed where his red backpack was waiting for him. Quickly he shoved the clothing into the backpack and zipped it so that nobody would notice that he had stolen extra clothing._

 _After he was finished, he let a huge smile spread across his face. That couldn't have gone any more perfectly._

 _"Alright…" He whispered excitedly. "Only one more thing to do."_

* * *

 _Breakfast the next morning was finishing up in the orphanage's dining hall. Most of the kids had already left, but Hiro was still sitting at the table his backpack by his feet. He had been waiting for this moment since the start of breakfast. The hall had just reached the point where most of his peers had already, left, but it was still too early for the caretakers to clean up all the food._

 _"What can I grab?" He muttered quietly, his eyes searching for some food he could take._

 _The first thing he spotted was a jar of honey, sitting unopened at the center of the table._

 _"Better than nothing." He whispered._

 _Quickly his hand darted forward and he snatched up the jar and slipped it into his backpack. Quickly he glanced around to make sure nobody had seen what he had done. Nobody had. Bringing his gaze back to the table he searched for more food._

 _Over the next few minutes, he stocked up on as much food as he could, grabbing everything that he could. Satisfied that he had enough, he hitched his pack onto his back and made his way back to his dorm. Slipping into the room he checked to make sure nobody was there before he slid his backpack under his bed._

 _Satisfied that his backpack was out of the way and that nobody would come by and sneak a peek as to what was in it. As he walked back towards the enclosure where everyone was playing, he felt a smug smile cross his face. He was feeling really good about his plan. He was confident that he would be able to pull this off without any hiccups._

 _"Good job Hiro." He whispered with a satisfied smirk._

 _As he walked, he did his best to recall that red girl's adorable smile. He tried to picture every little detail of her face trying to remember how her whole expression just glowed with joy and happiness._

 _I'll protect that smile." He whispered softly._

 _Contented with himself he walked into the enclosure where everyone was playing. Nothing seemed off at first until he spotted his group of friends all huddled in a corner, whispering with downcast looks on their faces. As he got closer to them he noticed that Mitsuru was not among the group and suddenly he felt an uneasy feeling wash over him. Quickly he scanned the rest of the enclosure but Mitsuru was still nowhere to be seen._

 _"Oh no." He whispered horrified._

 _Moving quickly he worked his way over to his friends, who were all still huddled in deep discussion._

 _"Maybe they're just testing him like Hiro," Ikuno said, reasonably._

 _"But what if they're not." A distressed Kokoro asked._

 _"Don't worry, Kokoro," Futoshi said consolingly. "I'm sure Mitsuru is fine."_

 _Kokoro began sobbing, and gently Futoshi wrapped an arm around her,_

 _By now he had closed the distance and he blurted a question. "What happened?"_

 _Goro turned to him a concerned look on his face. "While you were at the lab, some caretakers pulled Mitsuru aside and after a short conversation they escorted him out. We haven't seen him since."_

 _"Damn…" He hissed. "Then we really have nothing to go on."_

 _Goro nodded and attempted to return to the futile conversation that the group was having. He, however, was too lost in thought to give the conversation much attention._

 _Why? Why did this keep happening to him? Nobody ever answered any of his questions, and the more he looked into this whole situation the more questions he had. And they were now more important than ever. Where was the line? When did the caretakers' actioning start becoming unacceptable?_

 _"A long time ago." A voice inside his head said. No human had the right to torture and abuse somebody else. What else were they doing if they could stomach torturing somebody, while she screamed in pain and agony? Did the caretakers even have a limit to what they' ed be willing to do? And that if torture was just the tip of the iceberg. What happened to all the children that disappeared? They had to go somewhere. If they were willing to torture, the girl that the thought was going to be some sort of super soldier; what would they do to somebody who wasn't worthy of piloting a FRANXX at all?_

 _Just then the door to the enclosure open and…._

 _"Mitsuru!" He shouted, relieved._

 _The whole group whipped around, and when they spotted Mitsuru, everybody ran over to him. He was the first to get there._

 _"Mitsuru." He said relieved. "You're back."_

 _"Hey, I guess I am," Mitsuru said with a sad smile._

 _Before he could follow up as to why Mitsuru was looking so said everyone else arrived and began pestering Mitsuru with questions of their own. It wasn't long however before everyone else in the group noticed the dejected look on Mitsuru's face._

 _"What's wrong?" Kokoro asked her voice ladened with concern._

 _Everybody was silent as they waited for Mitsuru to answer._

 _"I…" Mitsuru said sounding slightly scared. "The caretakers said that If I want to stay here I need to get the most potent version of the fertility injection. They say that if I don't I will never reach the potential needed to sync with my eventual partner."_

 _Everybody in the group let out an audible groan. They had all heard stories about that particular injection, and everybody knew that the survival rate was extremely low. Nobody knew exactly what happened if the body failed to adapt to the injection, but the people who presumably failed were never seen or heard from again._

 _Everybody stood in silence, all of them processing the gravity of what Mitsuru had just told them that he had to undergo._

 _He took a deep breath and started forward. "Don't worry Mitsuru." He said giving him a confident slap on the back. "You having nothing to fear from those injections. I bet you'll get through it with flying colors, and by the time you're done, you'll be fully ready to pilot a FRANXX with the rest of us._

 _Mitsuru gave him, an appreciative smile and his face lit up with delight. "Thanks, Hiro, you have no idea how much that means to me."_

 _"Don't worry about." He said._

 _"Hiro is right," Ikuno said confidently. "You can endure anything that is thrown at you. You have nothing to fear from these injections."_

 _"Thanks, Ikuno," Mitsuru said, smiling at her._

 _Relieved that Mitsuru was okay and convinced that he would come back from the injections successfully, everybody dragged him into the group and they all had a fun rest of their day, doing their best to keep Mitsuru in high spirits._

* * *

 _Hiro awoke the next morning, his warm covers wrapped around him. All throughout the night, he had been dreaming about the girl with the red skin and crimson horns. When he awoke he knew that today was the day, that he needed to rescue her. Something deep inside him knew that it had to be today._

 _With a sigh, he sat up on his bed and looked around the dorm. Taking his time he isolated his friends and stared at each of them. As he watched them all a weird feeling was pulling at his heart. He almost felt lonely, but at the same time, it wasn't a feeling driving him to remain with them. He knew that he needed to save the girl, and his resolve to do that was ironclad. But he couldn't help but feel scared for his friends. He was running away, and his fate would be in his own hands. But his friends were just here. They would spend their lives here until they were old enough to leave; and throughout that entire time, their fate would be in the caretakers._

 _Looking around he whispered. "Good luck everybody. I hope we meet again someday."_

 _Resolving himself one last time, he took a deep breath._

 _"Today is the day." He breathed._

 _Standing up, he put on the uniform that was left by his bed every evening. When he had finished, he turned to his blanket and began folding it until it was small enough to fit in his backpack. When he had finished, he pulled his backpack out from under the bed and stuffed the blanket in one of the spare compartments._

 _Hitching his backpack unto his back he made his way, into the enclosure where all the children played. He needed to wait until the caretakers took him for his injections before he could rescue the girl. The time that he usually spent walking back to the orphanage would be his only time to rescue the girl without being seen._

 _He sat all morning waiting for the moment that he would be taken to the lab, everyone asked him why he had his backpack with him but he was able to brush off their inquiries with fake answers. Lying to Ichigo and Goro was the hardest, and deep down he thought that they probably knew that he was lying. But unfortunately, it had to be done. As much as he hated lying to his friends, he could not take the chance that what he was planning to do would get out. Everybody needed to remain in the dark._

 _Awhile later two caretakers came into the room and called out. "Code 016. Code 326, come with us."_

 _Standing he walked over to Mitsuru, who was standing with the rest of the group getting last minute encouragement from everyone.  
_

 _"Good luck Mitsuru," Ikuno said, nodding._

 _"You'll do brilliantly!" Kokoro chimed in._

 _Goro was next. "I expect to see you back here soon." He said, trying to make his voice as deep as it would possibly go. "You show them what you're made of."_

 _Mitsuru face broke into a smile as he tried not to laugh at how ridiculous Goro sounded. "Of course Goro."_

 _By now he had made his way over to Mitsuru. "You ready Mitsuru?" He asked._

 _Mitsuru looked at him. "Yes. Let's go."_

 _Stoically he walked over to him, and they both made their way over to the caretakers. As they walked to were the caretakers were waiting, everyone shouted praise and encouragement to Mitsuru. The caretakers escorted them out, and Mitsuru gave one last wave at everyone still left in the enclosure._

 _The caretakers marched them right to the exit and stopped right before the door._

 _"Your snow gear and boots are in the corner, we will await for you outside." One of the caretakers said._

 _The caretakers walked through the door and when the door hissed shut behind him, he turned and looked at Mitsuru._

 _"You ready?" He asked._

 _"Yeah," Mitsuru muttered nervously._

 _Both of them walked over to a set of snow gear and began to put it on, when they were finished he began to make his way over to the door._

 _"Hiro," Mitsuru called looking desperate._

 _"Yeah." He said, turning. "What is it?"_

 _Mitsuru shifted his feet nervously. "Um… Would… Would you be willing to pilot a FRANXX with me if I make it through the injections alive? I.. Think…your r-really cool a-and I was thinking that if we piloted together I might be able to become more like you."_

 _He felt his heart sink as he looked into Mitsuru pleading eyes. If only Mitsuru knew what he was about to do. This could possibly be the last time they saw each other, and Mitsuru was begging to have a closer relationship with him. How could he possibly tell him without destroying Mitsuru's feelings? But as he stared into Mitsuru grey eyes he knew he couldn't tell him the truth. Even if it was a lie he couldn't bring himself to crush the amount of pure hope and admiration emanating from Mitsuru's face._

 _"Sure thing!" He said giving the boy a radiant smile. "After you're done it can be just the two of us. We'll learn how to pilot a real FRANXX together."_

 _Mitsuru face lit up so bright that he seemed to glow, and the biggest happiest smile stretched its way across his pure innocent face._

 _"Thank you, Hiro!" Mitsuru said delightedly. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me!"_

 _He smiled, and they made their way out of the orphanage and the caretakers escorted them to the lab. They were led together all the way to the elevators until the caretakers split them up._

 _"Code 326, please come with me." One of the caretakers said, walking over to a different elevator than the one that he was taking._

 _Mitsuru turned to him and smiled. "See you later."_

 _He smiled back. "Good luck. I can't wait to see you back at the orphanage."_

 _"Sure thing, see you soon."_

 _With that, Mitsuru followed the caretaker into the elevator and they disappeared._

 _"Come Code 016. It's time for your injections."_

 _He sighed and hitched his backpack a little more securely onto his shoulders, turning he followed the caretaker, and he was escorted to were he would get his injections._

* * *

 _A while later, the caretaker dropped him off outside the lab and locked the door behind him._

 _"Let's go rescue that girl." He whispered with a smile._

 _Breaking into a run, he dashed his way over back to the orphanage and turned right a few feet before he was at the door. Scrapping the snow aside searching desperately for the walkway light that he had buried there. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he found the light. Elated he secured a strap from his backpack around the light, and he dashed off towards the tree in front of the lab. When he got to the base, he looked up trying to remember the path he had used to scale the tree successfully._

 _He nodded, when he had finished planing his route he clambered onto the first limb, and began his ascent up the tree. Struggling from the weight of his backpack and the walkway light he carefully worked his way up the rest of the tree. He had to make sure that none of it fell back to the ground because if it did his chances of being discovered were bound to increase by quite a bit. Breathing heavily he finally managed to pull himself onto the branch that looked into the girl's window. Gratefully he rested for a moment doing his best to catch his breath as the cold air stung his exhausted lungs. After a few more moments he regained enough of his strength to look up. Quickly he scanned the room but was startled to find that nobody was there. The girl was gone._

 _"No…." He groaned. "What made me think that she'd just be in here whenever I wished." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "Hiro you're such a dumbass. What made you think that she would just be in here anytime you wished?"_

 _His next thought almost made him want to cry. There was only one reason she was not in here._

 _"I vowed that I would protect that smile." He whispered, his voice ladened with sadness. "I should have taken you out of here the first time I saw you…." He sniffed disgusted with himself. "Of course I had to wait… They've been torturing you… It's all my fault, I shouldn't have let this happen."_

 _He sat on the branch, his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't just sit here forever, somebody would eventually come looking for him. But at the same time, this had been the perfect moment to rescue her._

 _He sat dejected hoping beyond hope that the caretakers would bring the girl back to the room, any minute._

 _Just when he was about to give up and return to the orphanage, it happened. The door to the girl's room opened and a male caretaker kicked the girl into the room, sending her crashing into the corner of the room._

 _Before he even had time to hide the caretaker shut the door to the girl's room and left. He watched as the girl slowly curled into a ball, and hugged the book hidden beneath her cloak. After a few moments, he watched her whole body deflate as she finally let herself relax, her eyes closing as she tried to have a few moments to herself._

 _He smiled. "There you are. Come on let's get you out of here."_

 _Shifting around he grabbed the walkway light and brought it around in front of him._

 _"Let's hope this works." He said, nervously.  
_

 _Taking aim he threw the heavy light as hard as he could at the window. With a deafening crash of shattering glass, the walkway light created a massive hole in the window._

 _The girl's eyes flew open, and her face contorted into a mask of hatred. Immediately she began snarling and hissing attempting to ward off anything that might threaten her. Defensively she hugged her book under her cloak tight to her chest, preventing anybody from taking it away._

 _Not wanting to waste any time, he scrambled to the edge of the branch, so that he could lean his weight against the windowsill and call out to the girl._

 _"Come with me! I can get you out of here!" He called out desperately._

 _The girl didn't move but just looked at him completely stunned._

 _"Please!" He begged, holding out his hand._

 _As they stared at each other, the girl slowly began to move on her hands and knees towards the window. Curiosity and wonder present in every single facet of her face. She looked at him, her eyes filled with hope, being irresistibly drawn to this person that was calling out to her._

 _He smiled at her trying to communicate through expression alone that he was here from her, and genuinely wanted to help her._

 _The distance between them closed as the girl slowly made her way over to him, and after what seemed like an eternity she was finally only a few inches away. Reaching as far as he could he held out his hand to her._

 _"Come on." He whispered affectionately. "I'm here to rescue you."_

 _Slowly the girl reached up, her little hand, and he felt her soft delicate fingers caress his hand, as she gently reached up to touch him. Carefully and with the utmost affection, he slowly closed his hand, so that their fingers were fully intertwined._

 _"Hey." He whispered affectionately giving her a big smile. "I told I'd come back didn't I?"_

 _The girl didn't say anything, she just stared at him curiously with her beautiful emerald eyes._

 _"Come on." He said, gently urging her to come closer. "Let's get you out of here."_

 _Slowly the girl allowed herself to be guided to the edge of the window, she balked slightly when she bumped against the wall beneath the window, but with a few gently words she slowly climbed onto the windowsill. Her eyes widened in fear as she gazed down at the dizzying drop below her, scared she looked like she was about to retreat back into the room._

 _Gently he gave her hand a little squeeze and she looked up at him, uncertain as to what she should do. Encouragingly he spread his arms so that he could draw her in. "I got you." He said soothingly. "Please just trust me."_

 _The girl gulped nervously, and then before she could regret her decision she crouched down and clambered onto the branch as he slowly pulled her into a reassuring hug._

 _"There." He said, just holding her for a moment. "See I told you that you were going to be okay."_

 _The girl made a nervous grunting noise in her throat, as a form of response._

 _He gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Come on let's see if we can find a way down from here."_

 _The branch answered his call but not in the way he would have wanted. The strain of both of them sitting on the edge was simply too much for the branch to handle, and with a sickening "snap" the branch broke and they both fell, landing in the snow with a "thud"._

 _"Ouch…" He muttered getting up._

 _Quickly he looked around for the girl and spotted her as she resurfaced shaking away the snow that had covered her. Quickly he ran over to her._

 _"You alright?" He asked taking her hand._

 _She grunted in acknowledgment._

 _"Come on." He said leading her by the hand. "We need to move before anybody notices we're gone."_

 _Hoisting his backpack more securely onto his shoulders he began to run, leading the girl by the hand. Thankfully she didn't resist but allowed herself to led, with only a curious expression on her face._

 _For what felt like an eternity they trudged their way through the snow towards the forest that surrounded the garden. When they were just about to enter the forest, they were forced to stop and confront a massive wire fence that blocked their path. As he stared dumbfounded at this obstacle, and as he starred he heard an electric buzzing coming from the fence._

 _"Damn." He moaned. "How am I going to get around this?"_

 _The girl grunted in a tone that indicated that she was asking why they had stopped._

 _Turning to her he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry we'll find a way through I promise."_

 _Turning back to the fence, he muttered. "There's got to be a weak point somewhere…."_

 _Leading the girl they began to run along the fence's perimeter. Desperately he searched for weak points in the fence hoping that sooner rather than later they could find a way through._

 _"There." He shouted a few minutes later._

 _Just ahead the wire on the lowest part of the fence had snapped, creating a break in the defenses. Carefully he worked his way forward unto the where right by the hole. Gulping he nervously stuck his arm through the gap, making sure that nothing could hurt them. Relieved he drew his arm back through the hole and turned to the girl a satisfied smile on his face._

 _"We can get through here." He said happily. Then in a warning tone, he added. "Just don't touch anything else, I don't know what this fence will do to us if we touch the other wires."_

 _Carefully he crawled through the whole, to the other side, then turning he help the girl through making sure no part of her body come anywhere close to the other wires. There was a heart-pounding moment where her horns almost caught the wire above her, but with a last-second adjustment, he was able to guide her through safely._

 _As she stood from crawling on her hands and knees he smiled. "You did great." He said tucking her beautiful pink hair behind her ears._

 _She didn't say anything, but instead only stared at him with her emerald green eyes._

 _There were a few moments of silence._

 _"Come on." He said giving her hand a squeeze, let's go. "We need to be far away from here before they notice we are gone."_

 _Leading her, he began running as fast as he could towards the edge of the forest, seeking the safety that the forest could provide. About a minute later they entered the outskirts of the forest, and suddenly there was a sharp decline in the amount of snow they had to run through._

 _Panting slightly he turned to the girl as they ran. "It'll be a lot easier to run now. Hopefully, that means that we can manage to escape unseen."_

 _The girl grunted, but aside from that said nothing._

 _As he turned his attention back to where they were going. I wonder why she doesn't say anything. He thought to himself. Then a realization washed over him, and he felt his stomach twist in anger. Just to make sure though, he turned back to ask her._

 _"Hey, do you understand what I'm saying." He asked, already knowing the answer._

 _The girl said nothing, but instead only gave him a curious expression._

 _He felt his heart sink. Just one more thing that the caretakers had done to make this girl's life even more miserable._

 _The girl obviously noticed his expression, and they ran she gave an inquiring grunt._

 _"Its nothing." He said giving her a reassuring smile. Giving her hand a squeeze they continued to run deeper into the forest.  
_

* * *

 _After what seemed like hours they finally stopped for a rest in a forest clearing both of them completely out of breath._

 _"There." He panted. "At least we have some distance from them."_

 _The girl, however, wasn't paying attention to him, and instead was looking around, at everything around her. Curiously she poked at the snow, and gave the cutest little yelp, as her hand sank beneath the surface of the snow. He watched as the girl continued to explore her surrounding investigating everything that caught her attention. It was clear from how the girl was behaving that she was just now processing the fact that she had really just left the lab, and was actually free, from the caretakers' control._

 _Suddenly from overhead, a bird flew over making a loud screeching sound, as it zipped through the trees. The girl's head whipped around and she growled in the direction that the bird had flown, unsure as to what was the source of the noise._

 _Chuckling he picked himself up from the snow and made his way over to her. As he got closer his foot made a "crunching" sound in a hard patch of snow. The girl's head whipped back around and she growled at him until she released that he was the one who had made the noise. Her face softened as she stared at him, and as he looked into her eyes, he could tell that she was experiencing a lot of different emotions and she wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling. The one emotion that he could clearly define in her gaze was gratitude. Above every other emotion that he saw, that was the one that clearly stood out to him._

 _"Do you like being free?" He asked jokingly, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer._

 _The girl only cocked her head in confusion and gave a confused grunt._

 _He smiled and sat down next to her. Saying nothing the girl just stared at him, unsure of what to do with herself. After a while of doing nothing, the girl eventually got bored of looking at him, so she reached down and began to rub her cold feet. As she did this, he followed her movements with his eyes and when he saw what she was reaching for he groaned._

 _He had completely forgotten that the girl had been barefoot the who time. The had been walking through all that freezing snow too and the whole time he had been in his wearing comfortable boots, while she had been running barefoot. Quickly, he swung his backpack around and began searching through it until he found, socks and snow boots. As he placed them on the ground she stared at them with a very confused look and began to inspect them trying to figure out what in the world these things were._

 _He let her stare at them for a little bit before he interjected. "They're snow boots." He said kindly. "You put them on your feet to keep them warm."_

 _Hearing his voice her head jerked back to stare at him, but when he didn't add anything more she went back to staring at the boots._

 _He chuckled. "Come on. Let's get them on your feet." He said._

 _Getting up he made his way over so that he could take a seat in front of her, sitting down he grabbed the socks and gestured to her feet._

 _"Do you mind?" He asked._

 _She cocked her head but didn't say anything more._

 _Hoping that was a good sign, he cautiously reached out for her left foot, as he did he saw that there was a band with a code number wrapped around her ankle. Gently he twisted it so that he could read the code._

 _"Code 002." He muttered. "Wow… I've never seen a code in the single digits before." He looked up at her. "You're really amazing, having a code this low is unheard of." He sat and thought for a moment. "You know…. Back at the orphanage, I gave everybody their own names." He paused for a moment and looked up at her. "Do you want one?"_

 _Curiously she tilted her head and stared at him with her beautiful eyes._

 _Hoping that was her form of consent, he pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Code 002…. Hmm… Oni... No that's dumb…Umm, Zero Two?" He shook his head. "That's a little unoriginal…Hmm"_

 _Before he could change his mind however, the girl shouted out. "Eo To! Eo To!"_

 _He gave the girl an amused smile. "I should have thought of a better name. Sigh…"_

 _Then looking into her beautiful eyes he said. "Well, I guess it's official." A big smile spread across his face. "Zero Two."_

 _Her face lit up, and he saw the smile that he liked so much spread across her face._

 _The sat there looking at each other until he broke the silence a few minutes later. "Come on. Let's get these snow boots on you."_

 _Slowly he gently grabbed her foot and wait to see if she would react negatively. Luckily she didn't do anything except watch curiously as he stretched her leg out. Gently and giving her ample opportunity to refuse, he slid a sock onto her foot._

 _Curiously she wiggled her toes getting used to this new sensation. Smiling he gently placed the second sock on her other foot. Then he carefully put on the snow boots, as Zero Two watched him her eyes full of curiosity and wonder. With a smile, he resealed his backpack and stood up._

 _"Come on." He said holding out a hand to her. "We' ed better get moving."_

 _Zero Two reached up and grabbed his hand, and gently he pulled her to her feet. As she stood she stumbled forward on uncertain feet and tripping forward onto his chest. Gently he caught her._

 _"I got you." He said kindly._

 _Gently he stood her back up and watched for a few moments as she shifted uncertainly, not used to the sensation of supporting herself with things on her feet._

 _"Don't overthink it." He said kindly._

 _Reaching out, he took her hand. "Here, I'll help you get used to the sensation."_

 _For the next few minutes, he gently held her hand and guided her as they walked through the forest._

 _"Alright, try a few on your own." He said. Bounding forward, he situated himself a little distance away from her. "See if you can make it to me on your own."_

 _Zero Two stood looking at him confused, and not entirely sure what to do._

 _Being patience he gestured for her to come to him, and after a few long moments, she seemed to get the message. With a determined look on her face, she began to make her way forward on her own. The first few steps looked like they were taking far too much effort, but eventually, she seemed to recognize that the process of walking hadn't actually changed, it was just the sensation. When she made that connection she was able to walk a little more naturally, and by the time she had made it to him, she looked like she had the basics down._

 _"You did great." He said smiling. Gently he tucked a strand of loss her behind her ear, and he saw her cheeks flush a slightly darker shade of red than the rest of her skin._

 _Smiling he turned and gestured for her to follow. "Come one, let's go see what the rest of the forest as in store for us."_

 _As he began walking he heard her run after him, and he felt her hand slip into his. Smiling he gave her hand a little squeeze and they set off deeper into the forest._

* * *

 _They had been walking for a couple more hours before they stopped again. Zero Two was starting to look a little tired from all the walking and he himself could feel the cold air stinging his lungs as he did his best to recover his breath._

 _"Let's take a rest." He panted._

 _Looking around he spotted some dry ground wedged in between a tall tree and a bush. Leading her over to it they sat down, relieved that they didn't have to sit in the snow. Leaning back against the tree trunk he sighed and closed his eyes. He hoped that the zigzag pattern he was leading them on was throwing off any pursuit that the caretakers might try to mount against them._

 _As he sat, he felt Zero Two's hand stroke the side of his face, her fingers tracing over every inch of his face._

 _Opening his eyes, he smiled at her. "Hey. What are you up to?" He said in an affectionate tone._

 _Instantly she jerked her hand away and averted her eyes refusing to look at him. Chuckling softly he gently reached out and grabbed her hand, using his thumb to rub against the back of her hand. As he sat there gently trying to coax her back into at least looking at him, he stared at her and attempted to piece together some assumptions he could make about her. As he sat, however, he found that making assumptions about her was much harder than he had first anticipated, since he had almost no information to go off of. He guessed that they were probably about the same age. She looked to be around the same size as all the other girls in the orphanage maybe being a little bit bigger. Actually, now that he thought about it, she looked actually a little bit older. Her face compared to most other kids at the orphanage had lost most of its childish appearance. Although maybe she wasn't older. He was also aware that his face had lost most of its childish appearance as well, but he was pretty sure that he was the same age as the rest of the kids. That thought got him to thinking about himself. Now that he thought about it he had always been slightly ahead of his peers, with his attitude and how he saw the world around him. He had always been the first to ask questions over everyone else and he had always felt that he was thinking a step ahead of some of his friends. Another thing that was different now that he thought about it was how he saw girls compared to boys. For some reason, girls just felt different and he found them more interesting than boys. There's was just something about them that he found interesting and couldn't explain._

 _As he sat in thought he became aware of Zero Two's hand again. This time she was running her hand through his wild black hair, and letting it run through her fingers._

 _He giggled in pleasure at the gently tickling sensation of her hand in his hair. Unfortunately just like the last time that he had made her aware that he knew what she was doing she jerked her hand away again. Fortunately, when he looked into her eyes this time, she didn't avert her gaze._

 _"You do the cutest things." He said affectionately. "I can't help but enjoy all the little things you do."_

 _She cocked her head at him in confusion and gave him a confused grunt._

 _He sighed. "I keep forgetting that you can't understand me…"_

 _Absentmindedly he began to feel around in his pockets, trying to think of a way to interact with her. He hadn't been searching for long when he came across the two hard candies that the caretakers always gave him._

 _"Oh…" He exclaimed pulling them out._

 _Turning to her he said. "Here you go."_

 _Zero Two tilted her looking curiously at the candy he held out to her._

 _"It's food." He explained. "Here give me a second." Grabbing both ends of the wrapper he pulled and letting the candy fall into his hand. Turning to her he said. "Say, Aah."_

 _She opened her mouth and he placed the candy on her tongue. He watched her face light up as she began to suck on the candy. She was so excited that she bobbed up and down her legs flailing in uncontrollable enjoyment._

 _He chuckled as he watched her. That reaction was absolutely adorable._

 _When she had finally gotten over the pure excitement of tasting the candy, she made a noise to get his attention. He smiled and indicated to her that he was paying attention._

 _Grabbing the collar of the black robe she was wearing, she reached inside, and the book that she valued so much emerged when she pulled her hand back out. She looked at it for a moment and then held it out to him._

 _"What? " He said startled that she would present her most prized possession to him. "Are you sure I can see it?"_

 _She grunted and gestured from him to take it._

 _"Thank you." He said awed._

 _Gingerly, he took the book and read the title. "The Beast and the Prince." He looked up at her. "Do you want me to read this to you?"_

 _Not understanding what he had said, she looked at him confused, but after a little bit of encouragement, he got her to scoot over next to him. Placing the book on their knees, he flipped open the book, as she leaned her head against him._

In the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and were beautiful, but they were what would be called beasts. Among them was their princess, who had huge, ashen wings. Their law said that once one turned seventeen, they would be allowed to fly outside the forest.

And on her seventeenth birthday, the princess took flight to the world beyond the forest. She crossed the steep mountains and the surging rivers and reached a land of humans. The moon shone brightly in the sky.

She landed in a castle garden, where she found a young man gazing up at the moon. The princess hid in the bushes and stared at the young man, and for the first time, love bloomed in her heart. But he was clearly of a different race. A beast and a human could never be together.

And so, the princess went to see a witch who lived in the same forest and said, "I want to live as a human. I want to be united with him." The witch replied like so: "I can help you if you offer me your wings. But keep this in mind. No matter how you disguise yourself, you are a beast, and you will consume the prince's life one day."

The princess ripped off her wings and was assaulted by pain far more intense than she had ever felt. She could never fly again.

Even so, she smiled happily, with tears of joy streaming down her face. "I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!"

The princess once again set out for the land of humans, this time on foot. In the desert, she spotted a group of people. "Oh, no! Is there anyone who can save him?!" There lay a young man, his leg bitten by a snake. The princess rushed to his side and sucked the venom out from his wound. "Thank you, o brave lady. I am the prince of these lands." It was the same young man she had met in the castle. " I owe my life to you. Please marry me."

A wedding ceremony was held soon after. The priest asked the princess, clad in a wedding dress of pure white, "Do you vow to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do." Them two exchanged rings, and when the priest said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss. And cheers rang out across the land. "Bless the brave girl who saved our prince's life!" The whole kingdom celebrated their marriage.

"Humans! Humans! They have neither the wings to fly nor the claws or fangs to hung. Such weak and frail creatures, but they are so, so warm. Humans are wonderful!"

After the wedding, she lived happily as the princess of a human land. She supported the prince in his work, traveled the world, and saw oceans studded with glints of sapphire, sparkling grasslands, and auroras that swayed like raging flames.

The princess took the prince's hand and said with a smile on her face, "Grab on to me and never let go, Darling."

But the princess's happiness was short-lived.

She woke up one night to a pain that threatened to rend her asunder and found her body turning into one of a beast. "Why? I asked you to make me human!" On her back were jet-black wings, tearing through her flesh and skin to spread. "Using magic comes at a price. You've attained plenty of happiness as a human. Now, it is time for you to lose yourself and turn into an ugly monster," the witch of the forest whispered to her. "However, if you kill the person you love most, you will be freed of your curse and return to the beast you originally were."

The princess gazed at her beloved prince as her claws reached for his throat. She loved him more than anything and anyone but the desire to rip his neck apart welled up inside her. As she desperately tried to clench her fist and stop herself, her claws dug into her skin, and blood started gushing out.

"If I kill the prince, I will be freed of this curse..." With tears streaming down her face, she kissed the prince on the cheek.

When the prince awoke, the princess was no longer beside him. Instead, the bed was covered in jet-black feathers.

In profound sadness, the prince searched all across the land for her. But nobody had seen the princess.

 _"This is a really sad story." He said, feeling his throat constrict slightly with emotion. "I couldn't imagine being ripped away from somebody I cared about._

 _Almost self consciously he looked down at Zero Two. For a few moments he watched as she stared to the prince, and then without warning, she turned to him._

 _"Hmm." She grunted pointing her finger at the prince, and then suddenly she pointed at him. "Hmmm." She grunted again. Moving her finger back and forth between the two._

 _Smiling he shook his head. "No.. No.. No. I'm not the prince."_

 _The girl shook her head and pointed between him and the prince with more intensity. "Hmm."_

 _He was just about to respond when he heard the sound of voices, coming from the trees behind them._

 _"Where did they go?" A male voiced shouted._

 _Scared out of his mind, he only just managed to avoid shouting in surprise. Forcefully he bit his tongue and tried to make himself as small as possible. Then looking around he noticed that Zero Two was growling angrily in the direction of the voice. Instinctually he reached out and pulled her close, hugging her to his chest in an attempt to protect her._

 _"Shhh." He whispered soothingly. "I promise I won't let them hurt you."_

 _As he sat there, he felt the tension leave her body and she buried her face in his chest. Her growling stopped as she allowed herself to be held in his protective arms._

 _"We need to return and launch a more comprehensive search." Another voice shouted. "We don't have enough people."_

 _"Has anyone found the tracks again?"_

 _"No."_

 _Somebody who sounded like they were in charge shout. "Everyone return to the lab. The snow is about to cover their tracks, we're going to have to change strategies."_

 _"Can't we just delay the snowfall?" Somebody else asked._

 _"No, it'll help slow their progress and following tracks isn't working anyway." Then in a tone to demonstrated that everything was final, the person in charge said. "Everyone return to base."_

 _He and Zero Two sat hiding for a long time, but finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he deemed it safe to move again._

 _Letting go he separated himself from her, and he sat there almost not believing how lucky he was._

 _"That was close." He whispered._

 _Zero Two glanced around still looking slightly afraid that the caretakers would swoop down out of nowhere and take her away. But at the same time when she looked at him, he could see what looked like a hint of affection behind her gaze._

 _Gently he reached out and tucked some of her loose hair away from her face. Surprisingly however she reached out and did the same thing, attempting to get his wild hair behind his ears._

 _He smiled and gently nuzzled his cheek against her hand. "You're so sweet."_

 _Curiously she stopped and looked at him. "Ngh." She grunted._

 _He sighed. "It's nothing." Then standing up he held out his hand to her. "Come on Zero Two. Let's get out of here."_

 _She grabbed his hand on he pulled her to her feet. Then intertwining his fingers in hers, they set off deeper into the forest._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 14 of The Jian Bird.

Well here's part 2. Honestly, I did think I had this much to tell about this one event but I guess I do. Believe it for not but this was all supposed to fit in one chapter originally. So much for that plan.

As you probably guessed by now there's going to be a part 3 to this. So sit tight and I'll try and get that out to you guys as soon as possible.

For all of you waiting for a lemon don't worry I've got very intimate plans for our couple here so it'll be worth the wait. I just have a few more things I like to cover so that it fits in smoothly.

Stay tuned for Chapter 15 of The Jian Bird: The Beast and the Prince Part 3


	15. Chapter 15: The Beast and the Prince Pt3

_They ran through the forest trying to put as much distance as possible between them and any pursuit that might be launched against them. He had abandoned his previous zigzag pattern and was now taking them on a straight shot to try an get out of the forest as quickly as possible._

 _He looked up from his blind rush and saw up ahead a clearing that stretched as far as the eye could see. Far in the distance, he saw faint red hills._

 _"_ _Look Zero Two." He panted. "I think we've almost made it out."_

 _He continued his blind rush forward until he was forced to skid to a halt to avoid a massive wall of glass that he had just managed to see in time._

 _"_ _What!" He gasped, dismayed. "No don't tell me we can't get out!"_

 _Scared that what he feared was true he walked up to the glass and touched it. Sure enough, its cold clear surface stopped his hand refusing to let him past. Despaired he looked down and felt his stomach plummet into a dark void._

 _"_ _No…." He groaned._

 _Far below him he saw serval of the plantations he had always heard about, docked around what he now understood to be the Garden. He now realized that the area that contained the orphanage and the lab was just an elaborate cage designed to make him think that what he saw around him was real. But as he stared in disbelief down at the plantations he realized that the caretakers had him trapped far more thoroughly than he could have ever imagined._

 _Panic started to overtake him. How were they supposed to escape when all of their escape routes where blocked? How could he keep his promise to himself and to Zero Two? What was going to happen to them now?_

 _"_ _Hmmm." Zero Two hummed, gently squeezing his hand._

 _Baffled he looked over at her with no idea what he was supposed to say._

 _Zero Two tilted her head and stared at him with her beautiful trusting eyes. As he stared at her he felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, and all of a sudden he understood. It didn't matter how they escaped. All that mattered was that they did escape._

 _He smiled and pulled Zero Two into a relieved hug. "Thanks." He said. "I got scared and wasn't thinking."_

 _Zero Two having no idea as to why she was being hugged but enjoying the affection anyway, hummed affectionately in his ear._

 _He chuckled softly, and let go. Gently he held her hand and let his mind wander off trying to think of a solution to his problem. He was stilling wrestling with the realization he had just made, and his mind had immediately gone to work trying to remake his plan._

 _Bored Zero Two crouched down and began poking at the snow absentmindedly with one hand while still holding his hand with the other. Seeing her prompted a question in his mind. How had APE's transport gotten to the lab, if the Garden was covered in one massive glass dome? Unless he was seriously mistaken that shouldn't be possible. The only explanation that came to mind was that Papa's authority must so absolute that he could create holes in the dome, so that transports could get in._

 _"_ _No… That can't be possible" A voice inside his head countered. "There's a more reasonable explanation to all this. There has to be some sort of door somewhere."_

 _His first instinct was to look up, to see if there was a hole in the ceiling. Not spotting a hole he gave Zero Two's hand a little squeeze, and she stood up. Then leading her he walked around until he eventually found a spot where he had an excellent view of what was supposed to be the sky._

 _"_ _There." He said, after a few more minutes of searching._

 _Directly above what he presumed was the center of the garden, there were two grey looking strips set so far apart that the whole orphanage could probably fit through the gap between them._

 _"_ _If those grey strips can somehow move the top of the glass dome, then several transports could easily move in and out of the Garden at once, without any problems." He muttered. "And since we spend most of our lives stuck in the orphanage nobody would notice the occasional transport moving back and forth."_

 _He grimaced in disgust. How much of their life was an illusion? Why was this all being kept hidden? Did their lives have any value at all?_

 _He sighed. It didn't matter. All that mattered now is that he find a way to escape. He stood thinking for a very long time but he eventually came to the only conclusion. If he and Zero Two were going to escape they were going to have to return to the lab and find a way out from there._

 _The color drained out of his face and he felt his stomach curl into a very tight knot. Their escape had just become far more difficult, and his original plan had already relied on a lot of things going his way. Now however everything would have to go exactly his way, and even then he was going to need a large amount of luck._

 _Exhaling hard he centered himself. Best not to think too hard about it. Best to take this one step at a time. Step one, get back to the lab. He looked around for a few moments and decided to make their return at an angle instead of just going straight back._

 _He turned to Zero Two. "Change of plans. We're going to try a different way of escaping. Are you with me?"_

 _She said nothing and stared at him with her trusting eyes._

 _He smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze. "Alright. Let's go."_

* * *

 _He and Zero Two had been making their way through the forest for hours. They were trying to get back to the edge of the forest as soon a possible without being caught by the caretakers. He stumbled momentarily on a rock as they ran along a small rocky cliff ledge. What was making their life even more difficult was that currently it was starting to get dark and the trees stared down at them with menacing glares. Regardless he pressed on leading them through the forest trying to keep them one step ahead of the caretakers. He knew however in the back of his mind that before long, they would need to find some places to sleep. But for right now he did his best to keep them on course, both of them stumbling from exhaustion._

 _"_ _You're doing great Zero Two." He urged. "Just a little bit further and we'll find a place to sleep."_

 _She groaned, and he felt her lurch dangerous close to the edge of the small cliff._

 _"_ _It's okay." He called encouragingly._

 _She gave a grunt of acknowledgment, and they kept running. Then out of nowhere Zero Two stumbled over something and she tripped sideways over the cliff her knees scraping the rocky edge as she fell._

 _"_ _Zero Two!" He screamed fearing that she may have hurt herself. Quickly he dashed over to the edge and saw Zero Two buried face first in the snow._

 _Quickly he jumped off the few foot ledge and dashed over to her._

 _"_ _Zero Two." He said worried. "Are you okay?"_

 _"_ _Ngh…." She groaned rolling over._

 _Spitting snow out of her mouth she sat up._

 _"_ _You alright?" He said grabbing her hands consolingly._

 _She looked at him with her beautiful emerald eyes and hummed a soft conciliatory tone._

 _He breathed a sigh of relief and tucked some of her loss hair out of her eyes. "Come on let's get you up."_

 _As she transferred her weight around onto her knees however, she gave a yelp of pain and immediately sat back down._

 _His eyes began searching frantically for her source of discomfort. It didn't take him very long, and within moments he noticed that one of her knees was bleeding, her blue blood dripping down her leg. The snow had melted in her wound and he noticed with increasing distress that her cut had barely healed at all, and her usual healing factor had been reduced to a crawl._

 _"_ _Oh no she's bleeding." He thought frantically. "I've got to do something fast!"_

 _He looked at the snow around them. There had to be something. Anything that he could use to stop that bleeding. Just at that moment, a memory of a lesson he had learned about animals came rushing back. Leaning forward he began to lick her wound cleaning it and encouraging it to heal._

 _Zero Two gave a yelp of surprise and her whole body shuddered at the weird sensation._

 _"_ _Endure it." He said kindly. "Supposedly animals lick their wound to heal them. I don't know if it will work but I'm going to give it a try."_

 _Returning to his task he began licking the blood that had welled up in her wound again. He had to make sure that she would be okay. She was his new reason to live, and that meant that it was his responsibly to protect her. Everything had gone out of the window the moment she had first appeared in his life. Ever since he was a young child he had always felt that there was something more to his life. And as he tasted the metallic taste of her blood, he realized that making his own way through life free of the constraints the caretakers placed on him, was what he had always wanted._

 _"_ _Awwi!" Zero Two shouted._

 _He looked up immediately, concerned that something was wrong. "Is everything okay?"_

 _"_ _Awwi!" She shouted again, pointing at something._

 _He followed her finger and saw The Beast and the Prince lying open in the snow. The book was open to the pages where the prince was asking the princess to marry him and on the other page was down on one knee kissing the princess's hand._

 _"_ _Awwi?" She asked, pointing to herself, then at him, and then at the book._

 _He smiled, and deduced correctly what she thought he was doing, a smile spread across his face. The book had said that if two people married nothing could tear them apart. Studying the book for a moment he studied what the prince was doing and tried to copy him._

 _Reaching forward he gently grabbed her hand and hoping that he was doing it right, pressed his lips again it. Looking up at her he said. "Sure thing. If it means that nothing can tear us apart then yes of course."_

 _He watched as her face flushed a deep crimson and her lip started to tremble. Tears began falling from her eyes and the emotions that were building within her were fighting to come out._

 _With a massive sob and tears of joy pouring down her face she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. She pulled herself even harder against his chest, trying to be as close to him as possible. Relentlessly she sobbed against his chest, her voice muffled by his coat._

 _Gently he wrapped his arms around her, the biggest happiest smile on his face._

 _For a long, while the just held each other, both of them feeling a closeness bond that neither of them had felt before. Eventually, Zero Two seemed to have sobbed out the last of her tears and she looked up at him her eyes full of emotion and gratitude._

 _He chuckled softly, and gently nuzzled against one of her ruby red horns, feeling their cold surface beneath his cheek. When he was finished he looked around to see if maybe there was somewhere where he and Zero Two could spend the night._

 _Unfortunately for the moment, he found nothing._

 _He sighed and looked down at Zero Two, who was still clutching him. "Come on. Let's go find a place to stay."_

 _Gently separating himself from her they collected her book and stood up. Then holding hands they walked along the cliff until they eventually found a cave hidden in the rocks that looked just big enough for both of them to stand in._

 _"_ _This looks good enough." He said walking over to it. Turning to her he said. "How about it Zero Two. Do you want to sleep here?"_

 _She grunted and gave his hand a squeeze but beyond that didn't say anything._

 _Taking that to mean yes, he walked forward into the cave setting his backpack down on the floor once they were inside. He glanced around and inspected the cave, looking for a clear spot where they could rest. Finding one he walked over to it and removed serval stray pebbles that could potentially cause problems. Then satisfied that they had a place to sleep her turned to Zero Two, who was watching him with her curious eyes._

 _He smiled. "Well, its not much but it's better than nothing."_

 _"_ _Hmm." She replied._

 _As he stared at her, he began to notice something that had been alluding notice until now. She was shivering, and he realized that now that it was starting to get dark, her thin black coat wasn't keeping her warm. Quickly he opened his backpack and pulled out the clothes he had brought for her._

 _"_ _Here." He said gesturing to them. "This should help keep you warm."_

 _She stared at them with a blank expression, not understanding what they were. All of a sudden he felt a sense of foreboding wash over him, but immediately he pushed it out of his mind._

 _"_ _They're clothes." He said tugging on his coat for emphasis._

 _She stared at him confused not understanding what he was trying to get at._

 _He sighed. Well if he needed to he could help her get dressed. Helping her put on a shirt or something wouldn't be too difficult._

 _"_ _Here." He said making up his mind. "Why don't you take off your coat, and I'll help you put on whatever you need help with."_

 _When she didn't respond he mimed the gesture of taking off his coat, which she seemed to understand. She stared at him confused, probably curious as to why he would ask her such a thing, but with trusting eyes, she slowly began to pull her black coat over her head. As she did, however, he felt his heart sink into his stomach, and tears well up in his eyes. She threw down the coat and stood there completely naked. The caretakers' had given her nothing to wear with the sole exception being the black cloak. This entire time she had been naked and exposed. Vulnerable and violated. The caretaker's hadn't even allowed her to cover her most private places instead just making her feel open and exposed._

 _He felt like he was going to be sick. How much more had the caretakers done to this poor girl? Nobody! Nobody had the right to do this to someone else! What did they think she was? How could they not realize that she was just as vulnerable and special as everyone else? How!?…. How!?…. What kind of monsters could do such a thing to someone!?_

 _"_ _Ngh…" Zero Two grunted, trying to get his attention._

 _He blinked and his eyes refocused on what was in front of him. He had been so angry. So disgusted with the caretakers that he had forgotten that Zero Two was still standing there naked in front of him._

 _With a tremendous effort, he smiled at her and brought as much happiness and light as he could into his expression._

 _"_ _Its nothing." He chocked, straining to keep his voice steady._

 _Bending down he quickly grabbed the pair of underwear from the pile of clothing and held it out to her._

 _"_ _Here." He said._

 _Zero Two took it and held it non-comprehendingly. She didn't know what she was supposed to do with it._

 _He almost let out an audible sob as he watched her stare at the piece of clothing. Then a realization hit him, and he stomach tightened into a very tight knot. He was going to have to help dress her. Zero Two didn't have the slightest idea what she was supposed to do with any of these pieces of clothing._

 _"_ _Here, I'll help you." He said holding out his hand for the underwear._

 _She gave it back to him and stared at him with her curious and trusting eyes._

 _Gulping, he walked over to her and bent down, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the cave floor so that he could try to preserve even the smallest shred of her whatever dignity still remained to her. Gesturing with his head he helped her step her legs through the underwear and slide it up until it was in place around her waist. Then with slightly more difficulty, he got a pair of pants on her._

 _Giving a slight sigh he allowed himself to let out the breath that he had been holding this entire time. As comfortable as he felt around Zero Two, it had still been extremely uncomfortable being this close to her naked body, and having her most private places barely inches away from his face._

 _Picking up the shirt that had a taken out for her he looked into her beautiful emerald eyes. She didn't look even the slightest bit embarrassed, at how close he had been to her. Instead, she just stared at him with nothing but trust and affection. Smiling slightly he stared back at her. He appreciated her faith in him, but at the same time, the blatant un-embarrassment that she had felt when he had been so close to her made him sad. The caretakers had treated her so badly that she simply felt nothing. All he hoped was that whatever they had done to her, they' ed had even the smallest amount of human decency to not touch her there._

 _"_ _Hmm." She grunted looking at him._

 _He smiled. "Yeah, let's get this shirt on you. I'm sure you're starting to get cold."_

 _Carefully he started forward and made his way over to her. Closing his eyes he did his best to put the shirt on her without seeing anything that wasn't his to see. But unfortunately just like with the underwear, getting clothing on her while not looking at her was proving to be very difficult, and the whole process ended up taking a very long time._

 _When the shirt was finally pulled over her, she stared in wonder at the clothing getting used to the weird sensation of wearing something more than a robe. If an expression of immense curiosity she began touching herself feeling the clothing beneath her fingers and how it hugged itself protectively around her body._

 _As he stood there watching her, he felt tears falling down his cheeks. He simply couldn't take it anymore. He felt so sick at what had been done to her. The fact that the person that he found himself caring about so much had been subject to so much horrible treatment, made him want to curl up into a ball and cry. Before he could stop himself he began sobbing, tears cascading down his face, accompanied by muffled whispers as he tried to contain his emotions. Pitifully he closed his eyes, just trying to isolate himself in his own sorrow at how she had been treated._

 _He stood there sobbing for serval long moments before he became conscious of the fact that Zero Two was wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. Gently she nuzzled her face against his and then began to hum quietly in his ear. Her soft affectionate voice soothing the sorrow he felt for her._

 _Sobbing he reached his arms around and pulled her into a tight hug, Zero Two giving a squeak of surprise as she was pulled hard against him._

 _"_ _I'm so sorry, they did that to you." He sobbed, holding her. "I only wish that there was something that I could do to make all of those horrible experiences go away. I wish I had found you sooner. Maybe then I could have protected you from all that pain."_

 _Dragging in a shaky breath he managed to regain control of himself, separating himself from her he stared into her beautiful emerald eyes, watching as they sparkled and shifted with affection and fondness._

 _Taking a deep breath he said. "I promise from this moment forward that I'll never let you go. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. Never again will they be allowed to hurt you or treat you like some caged animal."_

 _Zero Two stood silently for serval long moments just staring at him with her beautiful eyes. Then out of nowhere, she pointed at herself than at him and then gave him a hug. Letting go she repeated the gesture serval more times, before humming loudly._

 _It took him a moment but then he understood what she was trying to get at._

 _"_ _You want to protect me?" He asked smiling._

 _"_ _Hmmm." She hummed, hugging him again._

 _He chuckled softly and whipped a stray tear off his cheek. "And here I was trying to protect you, and you're already trying to offer to protect me."_

 _Then smiling he held out his pinky finger. "Let's make a deal." He said smiling. "How about we both protect each other?"_

 _She stared at his hand for a moment and then extending her own pinky finger began trying to put it against his._

 _He smiled and gently hooked his finger around hers so that they were intertwined. Smiling he watched as Zero Two tilted her head examining their intertwined fingers with a curious expression on her face._

 _As he continued to watch her inspecting their fingers he found himself staring at her, in a way he had never stared at another girl in his entire life. He found himself staring at how her beautiful hair cascade down her back, at how her elegant horns adorned her head like a ruby crown. He felt his heartbeat accelerate slightly as his eyes continued to drink in every detail of her face. For some reason, he felt a need to get closer to this girl and try to get to know her better. He wanted to develop a deeper more powerful connection with her._

 _Gently he let go of her pinky finger and instead just stared into her eyes trying to capture their every detail as the cave began to get darker around them. As he stared at her however he saw her beginning to shiver and he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that she wasn't wearing clothing that would keep her warm._

 _Turning he reached into his backpack and pulled out a snow coat and pants for her. "Here he said gesturing to them. These should help keep you warm."_

 _Walking over to her he helped her into the snow gear and after a few minutes, she was completely encased in warm snow clothes. He smiled and pulled out the snow pants he had brought for himself quickly he slipped them on and put his boots back on. When he was finished he looked over at Zero Two._

 _"_ _Well." He said with a sigh. "I guess we' ed better stay here for the night; walking around in the dark is a bad idea."_

 _Looking around he inspected the cave around them and began to remove all the stones from an area big enough for both of them to fit in. When he was satisfied with the area he had cleared he reached into his backpack and pulled out the blanket that he had taken from the orphanage. Zero Two stared at it with a curious expression having no comprehension as to what he was holding._

 _Slowly he sat down and placed the blanket in his lap, then looking up at her he said kindly. "We should probably get some sleep. I sorry but I was only able to grab one before I left. I hope you don't mind." Blushing slightly he said. "I know it might be awkward but we should probably sleep together so that we can stay warm."_

 _Before he could finish she started forward and without a moment's hesitation sat down next to him, a curious look on her face. Still surprised at her unflinching attitude towards sleeping a night so close to him, he removed the blanket from his lap and slowly laid down, still watching her every move. She only studied him for a few moments before she too laid down across from him, her emerald eyes filled with trust and curiosity. Relived and surprised at how little resistance he was encountering from her, gently draped the blanket over them, making sure that Zero Two was completely encased in the warmth it would provide._

 _"_ _There." He said after they were both wrapped up in the blanket. "Hopefully that'll be enough to keep us warm through the night."_

 _Looking up he stared into her beautiful eyes, trying to capture their every detail as the last light of the sun began disappearing from the cave. A smile spread across his face as he watched her curiously examining the blanket that was wrapped around both of them. It was plain to see from her expression that a blanket was a new concept for her and she was struggling to make up her mind about it._

 _"_ _Zero Two." He said affectionately. Instantly her eyes shot up to him and she stared at him expectantly. "Just relax. I know it might be a little awkward but just sit with it for a moment."_

 _Slowly Zero Two seemed to understand what he was trying to say, and with determined effort, lay still._

 _He chuckled. "Well, I guess that's one way." Then with a sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax enough so that he could get some sleep. As he lay there however he became conscious of the fact that Zero Two was moving around. Mentally he sighed. He recognized now that Zero Two was going to need to work whatever it was out of her system before she'd relax. But just as he finished his thought he felt Zero Two nestling herself against him, laying in the exact same position that he was in, only making it so that he would be wrapped around her in a protect snuggle._

 _He felt himself blushing and he knew that his cheeks must have flushed a deep shade of crimson. He had never been this close to a girl before, and the fact that it was Zero Two was making his brain run wild with emotions. He could feel her whole body pressed against his, and it was by far the most intimate position he had ever found himself in._

 _Slowly he opened his eyes and saw the top of Zero Two's head, her pink hair rustling as he breathed. And at the front of her head, he saw the two ruby horns that made up her crown sparkling in the last rays of the sun._

 _"_ _Hmmm." Zero Two hummed._

 _Then he felt her try and nestle herself even closer to him. After that, he knew what she wanted. Carefully he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an affectionate hug, keeping her close and warm._

 _"_ _Hmmm." She hummed again, all the tension leaving her body._

 _He smiled and he too allowed himself to relax, just laying there his body wrapped protectively around Zero Two. Slowly his breathing began to deepen and before long he was fast asleep._

* * *

 _Hiro awoke the next morning warm and comfortable clutching someone special to him as he slept. The first sensation he experienced was a sweet smell caressing his nose, and a few wisps of hair tickling his face. Slowly he opened his eyes to be greeted by the top of Zero Two's head. He smiled and breathed in a breath of the cold morning air. But strangely a weird sweetish smell gently worked its way into his nose, causing a pleasurable jolt to run through his body. Curious he bent down and sniffed the top of Zero Two head, wondering if for some odd reason she might be the source of the smell. Sure enough, when he sniffed her hair, that same sweetish smell tickled his nostrils._

 _He smiled, and gently squeezed her. He couldn't believe how perfect and unique she was. Every moment he spent with her he found himself falling even more for her. He wished that he could show her to his friends. Then a sinking feeling washed over him. Unfortunately, however, he may never get the opportunity. The chances of seeing them anytime soon were slim to none, and he knew that trying to get anywhere close to them would result in his capture._

 _He sighed. It was just something he was going to have to accept, and he knew deep down that Zero Two needed him more than his friends. And the truth was he' ed known that from the moment he saw her._

 _Gently he felt her stirring in his arms and he knew that She was about to walk up. A few moments later she rolled over so she was facing him. That movement seemed to have been enough to rouse her, and with a sleepy yawn her eyes fluttered open, still heavy will sleep._

 _"_ _Hey." He said gently. "You're awake."_

 _Her eyes shot up to him, and for a moment she looked confused until she remembered where she was._

 _"_ _Hmmm," She hummed, backing away from him enough so that she could look at him more easily._

 _For a few moments, they lay there staring at each other, both perfectly content to just be in each other's presence. He smiled and watched as her face took on an expression of happiness and uncontrollable gratitude._

 _A few minutes later he heard her stomach growl which was then followed by his own a few seconds later._

 _"_ _Well, I guess it's time for some breakfast." He said with a laugh._

 _Slowly both of them worked themselves into a sitting position and then disentangling himself from the blanket he stood up. Cold air rushed into the gap where he had been and Zero Two let out a small shiver, from the sudden change in temperature._

 _He smiled and knelt down, and gently wrapped the rest of the blanket around her to keep her warm. "There, that's better." He said as he finished cocooning her in the blanket._

 _"_ _Hmm." She hummed, looking at him._

 _He smiled. "Don't worry I'll be right back."_

 _Turning around her went over to where he had left the backpack last night and picked it up. Turning he walked back to Zero Two and sat down next to her._

 _"_ _Alright." He said with a sigh. "Hopefully everything okay in there."_

 _As he sat he became aware of Zero Two wrapping the blanket around him and a few seconds later she snuggled up next to him so that they could both fit. He looked down at her and saw her big beautiful eyes staring up at him. Gently he reached around with his free hand and gently ran his fingers through her soft silky hair."Thank you. I really appreciate it."_

 _Blissfully she closed her eyes and hummed quietly, the smile he liked so much spreading across her face._

 _After another few moments, he returned his attention back to the backpack and began to pull out all of the food he had packed. Carefully he pulled out the golden jar of honey and gently set it on the ground, its golden liquid sparkling as the morning sun hit the jar._

 _Zero Two tilted her head and stared at the jar with wonder and curiosity written all over her face._

 _He smiled. "You want some?"_

 _Momentarily she glanced at him but then shifted her attention back to the jar. Chuckling he reached forward and grabbed the jar. Bringing it up to his chest he opened it and then presented the mouth of the jar to her. "Here try some."_

 _She gazed at the jar non-comprehendingly not having the slightest idea as to what she should do. He sighed sadly and put the jar down. Then starting at the jar he had an idea. Reaching forward he dipped his finger into the jar and cover it with the golden honey. Then he turned to Zero Two._

 _"_ _Here. Say Aah." He said demonstrating with his own mouth._

 _Curious she opened her mouth and stared at him with her trusting eyes. Gently he placed his honey covered finger in her mouth, and she closed her lips around his finger and began to suck on it. Instantly her eyes lit up, and a wash of pure joy cascaded over her face. Excited at this new blissful sensation she squealed in delight, greedily trying to suck every last drop of honey of his finger._

 _He smiled and giggled at how adorable she was. Gently he removed his finger and coated it with even more honey, which Zero Two happily devoured when he gave it to her._

 _This went on for quite a while until he signaled that he needed a break. But even though Zero Two had been devouring every drop of honey that she could eat there was still an ample amount of honey left in the jar. Smiling he looked over at Zero Two who was staring at him with happiness and gratitude radiating off her in waves of affection._

 _He smiled and gently wrapped his arm around her. "You know…. It's nice to finally be free. I've never felt this way in my entire life. When I'm with you, I feel like the dark shadow that has been hanging over my life, just disappears."_

 _She hummed softly and stared at him with her beautiful emerald eyes. Then after a few moments and idea seemed to stick her and she looked down at the jar of honey. Reaching her finger forwards she dipped it into the honey jar. Then shifting her eyes back to him, she brought it up to his mouth and rubbed her honey cover finger on his lips. He smiled and opened his mouth allowing her to insert her finger into his mouth. Gently he wrapped his lips around her finger and sucked all the delicious honey off her finger._

 _When he was finished, he smiled. "Thank you. That's really sweet of you."_

 _Her face lit up and she excitedly made a move towards the jar again. Gently however he stopped her. "Hold on. Let's try some of the other food I brought before we eat all the honey."_

 _A while later he sat back rubbing his stomach. He and Zero Two had eaten quite a bit, and he was now feeling very full. If he was being honest with himself they had probably eaten too much. He had brought lots of fruits, bread, and ham slices, which was quite a lot on its own. But Zero Two had felt the need to cover everything in honey, and of course, she had wanted to try a little bit of everything._

 _He sighed sadly, as he looked over at Zero Two lying contently her hands on her stomach. It had become clear to him during breakfast by the way she was acting that she had never eaten anything like this in her entire life. The amount of joy and excitement she had displayed was so disproportionate when compared to an activity like eating breakfast._

 _Zero Two gave a contented sigh and shifted, which caused the sun to hit her horns at just the right angle. Suddenly little red reflections started to dance across the cave walls in the most beautiful display of light he had ever seen. He stared in wonder, amazed that her horns could create something so simple yet so beautiful._

 _"_ _You are truly amazing." He whispered in awe. "How anybody could think any less of you is beyond me."_

 _He sat and watched peacefully as the little reflections danced across the cave walls, just enjoying how unique Zero Two was, even when she was doing nothing but sitting still. He chuckled softly and reached up imagine that he could touch one of the dancing lights. But just as him imaginary finger was about to touch one of them, it danced away and out of his reach. He smiled and bringing his arm back down just let himself enjoy the beautiful creation that Zero Two was producing._

 _Eventually, however, the suns rays stopped shining into the cave and the little reflections that Zero Two's horns were making disappeared. He realized with a sudden shock just how late in the morning it actually was, and that he and Zero Two were losing valuable time that they needed._

 _He sat up and gently gave Zero Two a little shake to get her attention. She looked at him affectionately and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. "Hey." He said softly. "We gotta get going Zero Two, there is a lot that we need to do today._

 _She groaned in protest but sat up, and then with a little more positive encouragement stood up completely. He smiled and then quickly began to grab everything they had used and stuffed it into his backpack. Once all the food was put away he folded the blanket they had slept under and slipped it into another of the backpack's pockets. Satisfied that he had everything he turned to Zero Two. "All right I think that's everything. You got your book right?"_

 _She stared at him slightly confused, but she seemed to sense that they were getting ready to leave. Intuitively she checked to make sure she had her book, and when she felt its presence beneath her jacket, she gave a reassuring nod._

 _He smiled. "Alright then let's go."_

 _Reaching forward he gently grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the cave. Then once the had made their way back into the forest, he turned them back towards the lab._

* * *

 _After what seemed like an eternity he finally decided that they had earned themselves a break. He had been taking them on a path that ran at an angle back towards the lab, but with all the extra trudging through the snow that they were doing both of them were already very tired and out of breath. Looking around he spotted a massive tree in a clearing, and with a shrug turned to Zero Two._

 _"_ _Come on let's take a rest." He said leading her over to the massive tree._

 _Sitting down he leaned up against the tree's massive trunk and watched as Zero Two followed suit. After a few moments though she glanced over at him and then unzipped her coat. Then reaching down her shirt she pulled out The Beast and the Prince and gently held it. After a few seconds, she turned to him and stared at him with a look on her face which made it clear that she wanted something._

 _He smiled. "Do you want me to read the book to you again?" He asked smiling. Patting his knee he gestured from her to put the book between them._

 _Realizing that she was getting what she wanted, she quickly got the book into position and leaned against him like she had done the first time. He chuckled softly and began to read. A few minutes later he felt Zero Two stealthily try to snuggling up against him in an attempt to be as close to him as possible_

 _Smiling he turned the page and began to read what came next._

 _The Princess took the prince's hand and said with a smile on her face, "Grab onto me and never let go, Darling."_

 _"_ _Da." Zero Two said suddenly._

 _He stopped and smiled. "Darling." He said slowly, pronouncing every part of the word as clearly as he could._

 _Instead of repeating the word, however, she turned to him and pointed. "Da."_

 _He smiled and shook his head. "My name is, Hiro."_

 _Zero Two grunted in disagreement and pointed again. "Da."_

 _He chuckled and teased back. "Hiro."_

 _She shook her head. "Da!"_

 _"_ _Hiro."_

 _"_ _Ngnnh. Da!"_

 _A grin was working its way across his face. "Hiro."_

 _She vehemently shook her head again, and pointed at the prince in the book; then with the other finger, she pointed at him. "Da."_

 _He smiled and reaching out he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. For a few moments, they just stared at each other, their eyes communicating more than they could possibly say in words._

 _He smiled and leaned his head against hers, feeling a pleasant tingling sensation as her horns touched his forehead. "Don't worry. I'll be your Darling."_

 _All the tension left her body and with a sigh that was almost a sob, she hugged him and collapsed into his arms. Gently he reached his arms around her and began to whisper soothingly in her ear. "I'll always be by your side. From now we'll always be together. It's just us now. Just you and me. I know that I can't undo everything that the caretakers did to you, but from this moment forward, I won't allow anyone to hurt you ever again. I can't promise that it'll be easy but I know you and I can find a way to escape this place and live freely together." He smiled and gently ran his fingers through her silky pink hair. "You know, now that I think about it there's only one thing I could thank the caretakers for. They taught me what a partner is. They said that partners spend their whole lives together. Every waking moment their lives would be intertwined. To support and fight alongside them. I know that we'll never get to pilot a FRANXX but if we did I would have chosen you." He stopped a corrected himself. "No... FRANXX or no FRANXX you're my partner. We don't need someone else to tell us what we are."_

 _Zero Two hummed softly and said. "Da..rling."_

 _He smiled a gave her a squeeze. "Now and forever, Zero Two. From this moment on, I'll always be there for you."_

 _"_ _There they are!" A voice shouted._

 _Fear and terror shot through him at the speed of light momentarily paralyzing him. Instinctively his arms tightened around Zero Two, in an attempt to keep her close._

 _"_ _No….. He groaned feeling anger and frustration wash over him. "No..!"_

 _He looked up and saw the Garden's guards running towards them weapons held at the ready. He knew instantly that escape would be impossible. Still, he was determined to protect Zero Two in whatever way he could._

 _Zero Two began to moan and snarl. She knew as well as he did who was coming for them and why. Her moaning and snarls began to get more pronounced as the fear and anger mounted within her. She began to claw at herself hoping that this was all some sort of bad dream she could wake up from._

 _Gently he gave her a reassuring squeeze and sobbed in frustration, tears of pain and sadness falling into her perfect hair. "I promise I'll protect you." He whispered._

 _Then separating himself from her he stood up in defiance facing their attackers as they began to surround them. Zero Two was quick to follow and stood behind him, snarling at the people that would dare to separate them. Quickly he took a defensive posture in front of her and reached his arms behind him to protect Zero Two from any attack from the side._

 _"_ _Stay away from us!" He screamed._

 _The guards continued to press in closer completely enclosing them. The circle got tighter and tighter and despair cascaded through him as he realized that there was no chance of escape. His face contorted in frustration. Helplessly he whipped around and hugged Zero Two close holding her as hard as he could so that nobody could tare them apart. Zero Two immediately did the same and began to sob in fear and anger as she held onto him._

 _"_ _I promise I'll keep you safe." He whispered frantically. "I promise I won't let anyone hurt you. They can't take you away from me. I promise."_

 _The guards grabbed him and began to try and pry him away. Desperately he held on but mercilessly they began tearing them away from each other._

 _"_ _No!" He screamed as he felt his grip weakening. "No. Leave her alone!"_

 _The guard tore them apart dragging them away from each other, as they both fought to get back to each other._

 _"_ _Da!" Zero Two sobbed, fighting to get back to him. "Da!"_

 _"_ _Zero Two!" He screamed trying to wrench his arm free of his captors. "Leave her alone! Let go of her!"_

 _Suddenly he felt a sharp blow to the side of his head, and suddenly he felt himself falling into a deep endless abyss filled with nothing but pain and misery. The last thing he ever heard was somebody's anguished cry of "Da!"_

* * *

"Please…" Somebody sobbed. "Darling, please…..Don't leave me all alone… Please wake up."

His face was covered with hot tears, and he could hear racking sobs in his ear.

"Please…" The voice sobbed again.

Suddenly he felt something spark deep within him. He recognized that voice, and it was the one voice that he had never wanted any amount of pain to be present in. Forcefully he began to fight his way out of his own mind, struggling to resurface back into reality. Ahead he saw a light and at the end of it, he heard the voice of the one he loved calling to him, desperation and fear contorting her voice into sobs of pain and anguish.

"Darling….." She sobbed. "Please wake up…"

He coughed and with a massive gasp he leaped back into consciousness, he eyes flying open and his chest heaving as he dragged in deep breaths of cool crisp fresh air. Suddenly he heard a sharp intake of breath and he felt Zero Two sitting up so that she could look at him. When she did they stared at each other both their minds reeling so much that they were stunned into stillness.

"Darling!" She cried diving forward wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself against him. She continued to sob into his ear. "I thought you were dead… I was so scared. I was afraid that they had ripped you away from me again."

He began to crying too and gently he reached his arms around her and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I'm right here."

She continued sobbing in his ear her tears staining the side of his face. "I'm so glad that you're okay….. I don't know what I would have done with myself if they had killed you."

He squeezed her. "Some am I. The thought of losing you again is stabbing at my heart." He sobbed and held her close. "I'm so sorry. I promised that I would protect you and I failed." Pain started to enter his voice. "And what makes it worse is that I forgot everything… How could I have possibly forgotten something so important?"

She sobbed and said her voice still thick with emotion. "You… Y-You didn't forget. They whipped your memory." She sucked in a shaky breath. "After they captured us, they removed our memories of each other. I-I only managed to remember what we did together by forcing myself through pain and desperation, dragging the emotions and feelings that you had shown to me out of myself." She paused for only a second and plowed on. "I was able to recall everything except the two things that would help me find you. I.. I forgot your face and your name. The caretakers stole that from me and never let me see you again." She hugged him so hard that it was painful. "I'm so happy. I finally have you back. It was all worth it. Everything I've endured up until this moment was all worth it. You are the only person in the world that I care about."

He sobbed and held her close. After a few minutes, he sat up still holding her as she sat in his lap, just like what they had done so many years ago. She cuddled up and buried her face in his chest. Gently he began to rock back and forth trying to relive all the emotions that were swirling inside him. For a very long moment, he just held her, feeling her body cuddled up against his.

"How… How did you know?… How did find me?" He whispered.

"Everyone's always treated me like a tool to be used. Nobody has ever treated me with kindness. You're the only person who's ever shown me kindness and made me happy. It didn't take me long to recognize you."

He exhaled hard sadness present in every line of his face. "I'm so sorry, Zero Two. If only I'd been better, then maybe we could have been together all this time. It's all my fault. I lead us right into them. We… we could have escaped. I-I could have saved you from all that pain and mystery." He sobbed. "I wish that I could make it all disappear. It's not fair! You deserved so much more than a life of pain and misery."

Zero Two sat up and locked eyes with him, her beautiful green eyes staring into the deepest depths of his mind. "I don't care about that. All of it was worth it because I got to meet you. All the pain and suffering was worth it. You're worth it. My memory of my life before I met you is a blur. All I can remember is you. All I remember is the kindness and love that you showed me." She smiled. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Ever since we were torn apart, finding you all I've ever cared about." Fresh tears began cascading down her face. "And now I finally have you back."

Tears were streaming down his face, as all of his emotions came pouring out of him at once. In a spur of passion, he leaped forward and kissed her their lips colliding and caressing each other in a fiery passion. They fell backward into the snow as he continued to shower her with his love. Gasping he came up for air his chest heaving pressing against Zero Two as he stared at her. "I-I. I promise that from this moment forward we'll always be together. If you'll have me, I'll stay by your side forever."

She gave a sob and pulled him to her, kissing him with all the emotions and passion that she had wanted to show him for all these long years. As she kissed him with all her passion and fervor she felt an electrifying shock run through her as her horns rubbed against two hard protrusions on Darling's forehead. For an instant she felt an overwhelming wave of Darling's presence fill her body, making her feel warm with intimacy and passion.

Slightly startled they both separated, unaccustomed to the inhuman level of love and intimacy they both just imparted on each other.

"Wow." He said shuddering. "That was intense. I wonder what that was all about? Zero Two do you kno…." He stopped suddenly as he saw Zero Two staring at his forehead her face twisted falling in dismay.

"No…. What have I done….? This can't be happening. I swore that I wouldn't let this happen."

Instantly he knew what was upsetting her, and on the spot, he decided that he needed to nip this reaction of hers in the bud. "Zero Two." He commanded. "Look at me." She did, controlling herself enough to not be ruled by her dismay.

Gently he reached forward and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb along the tender skin of her palm. "Zero Two look I… I want you to understand something. And I don't care what other people think. This is what I feel. And now that I have my memories back its clearer than ever." He took a deep breath. "I've always wanted more out of life than to just be ordered around deprived of my own will. I want a life where I'm free to make my own choices. Before I saw you, my life was just a routine of obedience and endless questions." He smiled. "But then one day, a girl with red skin, beautiful emerald eyes, and two gorgeous ruby horns appeared before me. And not only was she the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, she had a fire that lit something in me so powerful that from that moment on I couldn't be without her." Tears were running down his cheeks. Gently he brought her hand up and gave it a tender kiss. "You are that perfect girl Zero Two. I fell in love with you because it's you. There's nothing I would change." Reaching forward he pulled her into a gentle hug, as she sobbed into his ear. Tenderly he whispered in her ear. "I want to be close to you. I've never felt this way towards anyone else. Hmmm. Maybe that's why changing into a hybrid like you, has made me so happy. I can finally be with you in a way that I never could before." He chuckled and separated himself from her. Reaching up he stroked his horns. "Plus they're not so bad… Blue is a good color for me."

Whipping tears from her eyes, she looked at his horns, trying to appreciate their presence on Darling's head. "Pink would have been a better color." She teased, trying to cheer herself up.

He smiled glad that she was warming to the idea a little. "Now I would have to draw the line on that one." He countered jokily. "Pink defiantly doesn't belong on my head."

She smiled, and pulled out one of her long pink hairs, then reaching forward she placed it on his head so it was dangling in front of his face. "You seem to have a problem then." She said hiding a grin.

He pouted and blew on the hair in an attempt to make it go away. The hair however just fluttered a little and came back to rest on his face.

He looked over at Zero Two who was smiling at him, with a satisfied smirk on her face.

He smiled, and reaching forward he pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry Zero Two. Only good things can possibly result from us being together in this new way."

She sighed, and he felt her body deflate. "If you say so…." She said sounding not totally convinced.

Gently he gave her a little squeeze and said. "No Zero Two, I know so."

She sniffed in amusement and separated herself from him shaking her head. "That was such a cheesy line."

He smiled. "Hey what can I say? I'm the master of cheesy lines."

Chuckling she gave a small sigh. "What am I even doing? I'm laughing like I'm some sort of child."

"That's okay." He replied sweetly. "I like children, so be a child as much as you want."

She smiled and gazed at him with all the love and gratitude that she possessed. "I've missed you so much, Darling. I've been dreaming of this moment my whole life." Tears began sliding down her cheeks. "I'm so glad that I met you. You're my irreplaceable perfect prince, and I don't want to leave your side ever again." Her emotions swelled to a peak of love and gratitude and radiated out of her in massive heartfelt waves. "I love you!"

He smiled tears cascading down his cheeks. "I love you too! And from now on I will always be by your side!" Reaching forward he kissed her, channeling all of his love into her. Their horns met and instantly their bond amplified itself a thousandfold, as they poured all their love and gratitude into each other. Simultaneously they both opened their mouths and their tongues leapt forward twisting and dancing in a wet dance of passion. Each of them explored and tasted the other's mouth not afraid of sharing a part of themselves with each other. As their dance of passion progressed each of them felt something strong building in their horns. Something was on the verge of uniting in an inconceivable way. Just then however both of them separated gasping for air, their passion-filled breath thick with the scent of the other's mouth.

With his eyes locked with hers and his chest still heaving, he gasped. "I-I love you."

"N-now and a-always, Darling." She sobbed.

Gently he pulled her into a hug and held her close just basking in her presence and reflecting at what it had taken for both of them to have reached this point. He let out an emotion ladened sigh and stared off into the distance. For a long few moments, they sat in silence, the only sound being Zero Two's muffled sobs. As he stared absentmindedly off into the forest, he saw a child appear before him, her pink hair cascading down her back, her eyes the color of emeralds, and two ruby red horns stabbing up in defiance of the world around her. He smiled at the child Zero Two, and they stared at each other affection and gratitude present in every line of their faces. Tears cascaded down Zero Two's face she started towards them.

"Da." She whispered, stopping just inches behind the adult version of herself that he had nestled in his arms.

He smiled at her with every last drop of his affection and gratitude. "Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you for guiding me to you. I promise I'll protect you, for the rest of my life."

She smiled and pointed at herself and then at him.

He chuckled softly and shook his head in amusement. "Deal." He whispered with a smile.

With a small nod, she gave him one final smile and then turning she began to walk away. He watched peacefully as a child version of himself appeared, and grasped Zero Two's hand, holding it with all the affection and trust that they had shown to each other all those years ago. Then with smiles that communicated more than any amount of words, they both set off and disappeared peacefully into the forest.

He nodded and smiled. "Good luck, I hope you two find what you're looking for."

He gave the Zero Two in his arms an affectionate squeeze. "Because all I've ever wanted, is to be together with you."

"Hmmm." Zero Two hummed softly. Then adjusting herself she turned and laid down her head resting in his lap.

He smiled down at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then with the utmost affection began to play with her hair marveling at how silky it felt as it slid through his fingers.

A long while later they both seemed to be satisfied and positively overflowing with each other's love and affection.

"Darling." She said gazing at him with her beautiful emerald eyes. "I think we should head back. It might start getting cold soon and I don't want anything to ruin our perfect moment."

He smiled. "I agree. Let's head back, so I can spoil you all over again."

She smiled and shook her head. "No… It's my turn now. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be nothing but a warm ball covered in kisses."

"I won't say no to that." Then chucking softly he added. " We gotta get back first thou."

"Don't you worry." She said her voice dancing and sparking with affection. "The longer you make me wait, the more kisses you're going to get."

He smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze. "Then we' ed better get going before you build up enough kisses to turn me into nothing but a giggling lump."

She smiled. "Too late for that."

He chuckled and bending forward gave her another kiss.

She smiled and sat up immediately spinning herself around so that she could keep her loving gaze fixed on him.

With a huge smile on his face, he stood up brushing the snow off his pants, then reaching down he held out his hand for his perfect princess. She smiled and allowed herself to be guided into a standing position. Then holding hands they began to start the walk back towards Plantation 13.

"It's still so weird to see you with horns." Zero Two commented as they trudged through the snow. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing them on you."

He smiled and glanced over at her. "Life is full of surprises." He chuckled. "Imagine how I felt when a girl with red skin appeared before me."

She blushed. "I'm so glad that my skin changed. I looked so dumb back then."

"No, you didn't." He protested.

She scoffed. "Are you kidding me? I looked like pomegranate with legs."

"You did not."

"Yes, I did."

He sniffed and said in a pouty tone "Well I thought you were beautiful for your information. And I don't appreciate you calling the girl I fell in love with dumb."

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You play dirty Darling. But don't you go expecting any more freebies, because I'll put a stop to it for sure."

He smiled. "Oh… You want something a little more eh… Well.. give me a little bit and I'll think of something a little more exotic for you." He winked.

She giggled happily and giving his hand a little squeeze. "You are too naughty. But you better be careful, because whatever you do I'll give back with far more vigor."

He smirked. "Challenge accepted. But I promise that I'm going to win this one."

He was just about to continue when he saw something purple flash and disappear behind a tree. "What was that?" He said distractedly.

"What's what?" She asked following his gaze.

He stared at the tree where the purple had disappeared. "I could have sworn…." After another few seconds, however, he shrugged. "Oh whatever, it was probably nothing."

"You don't think anyone was following us do you?" She asked curiously.

He shrugged. "No idea. It's not like there's really any need for somebody to watch us. It's not like we can go anywhere."

She shivered. "You know I didn't think that I would ever find myself saying this but I can't wait to get back to Plantation 13. There I don't have to worry about somebody spying on us and I can just be with you."

He smiled. "Don't worry too much about it, I'm sure we'll be okay."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

A few minutes later, both of them exited the forest to the sight of the orphanage and the lab off in the distances. Almost at the same time, they both turned to look back at the forest.

"Oh know." He said with a small sigh. "As much as I've grown to despise the Garden, I think this forest will always have a place in my heart."

She squeezed his hand. "Yeah. My first happy memories were formed here." She turned to him and smiled. "And it where I truly got too met, the man I love."

He gave her an affectionate smile. "And it's where I fell in love with you." He stepped forward and kissed her, gently cupping her cheek with his hand.

She hummed affectionately. "Come Darling. Let's go home."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 15 of The Jian Bird.

Sorry about the delay, school and work just love gobbling up all my free time.

Well, guys, it's finally here. Zero Two and Hiro have finally fully reunited and all of Hiro's memories have been returned to him. But the story is far from over, and there is much more to tell. I don't want to give anything away but let's just say that now that we've passed this milestone the possibles are pretty much endless.

Next chapter is one that a lot of you have been waiting for, and it is something that I have been developing since day one.

Stay tuned for Chapter 16 of The Jian Bird: Conceived (Lemon)


	16. Chapter 16: Conceived (Lemon)

**Author's Note:** A particular part of this chapter contains a scene that is sexual in nature. If you are uncomfortable with such descriptions, then avoid the part that contains such action. Thanks for reading.

* * *

Zero Two awoke as the morning rays of sun slowly tickled her awake, their gentle touch rousing her senses and stimulating her mind into action. Gradually she became aware of Darling's arms wrapped protectively around her from when they had been cuddling the night before.

She smiled and breathed a contented sigh. She finally had Darling back, and now that he had all of his memories, she felt as though a great burden had finally been lifted. The shadow of what Papa had done to her and Darling was finally lifted, and for the first time in a long time, she felt truly free. The possibilities were endless now.

"Hmmm," She hummed, feeling as though all the happiness in the world was trying to come bursting out of her all at once.

Gently she rolled over and stared at Darling, who was still fast asleep, his chest rising and falling as he slept. She stared at him, her face melting into the biggest happiest smile. He was so perfect. Darling was the best person in the world, and nobody even came close.

Longingly she stared down at Darling's bare chest, her eyes tracing the outlines of his muscles. She felt something primal stir deep within her as she stared at him. It started as a feeling that sparked between her legs and ran up her spin with increasing intensity. Her eyes shifted to the two sapphire horns that poked their way through Darling's hair, and even though she wasn't entirely on board with their existence, she couldn't help but find herself intrigued by them. As she continued to stare at them, her own horns began to throb with an indescribable longing. A desire to embrace her lover in an almost inhuman way.

All of a sudden, she felt an overwhelming sense of desire cascade through her causing every nerve in her body to tingling with ecstasy. As her mind swam with fantasies of Darling, she felt her breasts swelling, filling with passion, and the desire to be caressed by Darling's loving menstruations. She bit her lip, holding back a moan as she felt her nipples perking up, standing erect and clearly visible through her shirt.

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but right at that moment, she felt a tingling sensation building between her legs, and with a sudden spasm, it crested, and she felt something warm and wet leak from her and begin to soak into her underwear. The place between her legs throbbed, and she felt an insatiable desire to have something fill her and pump its love deep inside her. Not even knowing what she was doing, she reached between her legs and felt a wet slippery substance coat her fingers. Curiously still trying to stay as silent as possible, she ran her fingers through the lips of her genitals, exploring a place that she hadn't really bothered with more than she had to. She felt herself feeling the lips that were throbbing with an intensity so strong it was all she could do to keep from moaning. Her task became monumentally more difficult when she felt the bud nestled at the apex of her lips. Immediately an electrifying sensation shot through her, and she felt even more fluid leak from her. The hole in the center of her flower and the source of all the wetness ached and was begging to be touched. She tried to fight it, but she couldn't resist the urge to explore herself even more. For the first time in a long time, she plunged her fingers deep into herself, feeling the wetness and texture of the softly undulating cave nestled between her legs. She moaned as she felt her cave gently squeezing her fingers, seeking something that would complete her. She needed something. Something that would deposit itself inside her and nestle itself deep within her most special place.

She moaned, louder this time, and dug her fingers even deeper inside her depths. The squeezing of her walls became even more pronounced as her cave tried to milk what it needed from her fingers. She groaned and felt her finger become coated in the sticky egg white consistency substance that she so often found herself dealing with, but instead of being annoyed she began subconsciously willing her body to make more of it so that she could prepare the environment that she instinctually knew she was going to need.

As she continued to explore her most intimate place, her hot steamy breath filled with her longing and desire cascaded into Darling's face urging him to awaken and join her in her passion.

"Darling…." She groaned. "I need you…. I need you so bad."

Just then, she saw Darling beginning to stir and immediately panic shot through her. Darling was about to catch her with her hand between her legs moaning and groaning to the thought of him. Desperately she tried to pull her hand away but… but… S-She couldn't. She needed Darling. She needed Darling to find her like this. Find her and shower her with all of his love. She needed him to reach his hand between her legs and make her scream in pleasure. To feel his rough and caring fingers inside her, urging her to open even more of herself to him. Her walls tightened. No, she needed more than that. Instinctually her eyes drifted to the bulge between Darling's legs. What she needed was that. She needed that strong pulsating member that Darling had. She needed him to thrust it inside her and let it deposit that thick golden substance that erupted from its tip.

Darling's stirring became more pronounced, and desperately she fought the urge to keep pleasuring herself. With an enormous effort, she wrenched her sopping wet slimy fingers out of herself, the place between her legs throbbing as it cried out for attention and love. Hurriedly she wiped her fingers against her leg, feeling as she spread a warm trail of sticky fluid all over her thigh.

Luckily she was just in time because not even a moment later, she felt herself pulled hard against him as he pulled her into a morning hug.

"Morning Zero Two." He purred affectionately nuzzling against her neck. "Did my princess sleep well?"

She smiled, glad that she had avoided potential embarrassment. "Of course, Darling. In the arms of my prince, it couldn't get any better." Then the last of her tension, leaving her body, she melted into his arms. "How about you, Darling?" She hummed. "How's my perfect prince this morning?"

He smiled at her mischievously. "Addicted." He giggled. "Addicted to how beautiful you are. Not only that, but I'm positively drowning in your scent."

She blushed hard, feeling her cheeks burning like the sun. "Darling, you shouldn't say such embarrassing things to me. It makes me so self-conscious and uncomfortable."

He smiled. "You're such a dirty little liar." Gently he reached down and rolled one of her still erect nipples through her shirt. "You can't hide the truth from me."

She gave a yelp of surprise, feeling an electric shock dash through her body at the speed of light. Hurriedly she brought her hands up to cover her throbbing nipples trying to hide the evidence of her pleasure.

"Darling.." She chastised. "That's mean."

He chuckled and gave her a tender little kiss. "Okay, I'll stop.. Don't want my princess to be too mad at me."

She pouted and removed her hands, still uncomfortably aware that her nipples were still begging for Darling's ministrations.

"You're very cheerful this morning." She commented, trying to take her mind off her aching nipples.

He smiled at her. "Well, it is my first morning with all my memories back. Plus, waking up with you in my arms never hurts."

She smiled and cuddled up into his arms. Darling knew exactly how to make her heart just melt. "You don't play fair, Darling." She hummed, nuzzling his chest.

He hummed affectionately and buried his face in her hair. "You're too wild to be tamed by regular means. I got to have a few trump cards up my sleeve, just in case of emergencies."

She growled playfully. "Do you like me wild?"

He chuckled. "It has its benefits."

"Okay, then!" She cried. Flipping herself around, she rolled on top of him and pinned him to the bed, a playful grin spreading across her face. Seized by a wave of passion, she leaned forward and gently nibbled his ear, her hot steamy breath tickling the side of his face. In her passion, her loosely fitting nightshirt slid all the way up to her aching breasts, exposing her taut lightly muscled belly. "Darling, like?" She purred, nuzzling the side of his face.

He kissed her lightly on the lips. "Of course. But you'd better be careful. You remember what I said about anything special you do for me, right?"

"Hmmm…" She hummed, trying to contain herself. "Don't care." She moaned. "You'll be so spoiled by the time I'm done with you that you'll be incapable of doing anything."

Darling grinned, and she felt his fingertips lightly brushing the muscles of her belly gently caressing that soft sensitive skin. A spasm of pleasure ran through her, and she shuddered goosebumps erupting all over her skin.

He grinned up at her. "You're so addictive…" He moaned. "Every little movement you make, the way your eyes sparkle, I just can't get enough of you."

Gently his hands worked their way up and wrapped themselves around her rib cage, gently holding and supporting her. His fingers danced gently on her skin, stimulating her senses as he used even the most simple things to drive her over the edge.

She let out a moan. She needed more. She needed to be closer to Darling. This just wasn't enough anymore.

Just then, however, one of the birds that lived in Mistelteinn accidentally flew into their window with a very loud. "Bang!"

"What the..!" She shouted, surprised, looking around for the source of the noise.

Darling, too, had given a start and was also looking around.

By the time they had found the bird sitting dazed on top of the roof, their precious little moment was gone, and she realized that at least for the moment, they weren't going to recapture it.

"Poor little thing," Darling said, gazing out at the bird. "I hope it'll be okay."

She smiled. Darling as so sweet. He was so loving and caring that she just wanted to cuddle up in his love and….

"I'm sure it'll be fine." She said, shaking herself out of her daydream. "I bet that in a few minutes, it'll fly away."

Just as she said that the bird shook itself, and hopping into the air flew off.

"Well, I guess you were right," Darling said with a chuckle.

She smiled, and as she gazed at Darling, she felt a very strong desire to just be alone with him today. Her mind casually went over all the events in her life, the ups and downs. The pleasurable moments and the bad moments. Yes… After everything that had happened yesterday, she just wanted a day alone with him. Just to have a special day without any of the squad.

"Darling." She said, suddenly feeling a blush creep up her face. "Could we….. Um… Could we send the day together? Just you and me… After all of these long years, I…. I just want to spend a day alone with you."

He smiled and gently kissed her on the lips. She shuddered at how soft his lips were, and the feeling of all the love and affection he was pouring into her. "Of course." He said, tucking some of her loose hair behind her ears. "Anything you desire is my command."

She blushed. "Darling…" She said, embarrassed. "Don't say that. You're making me sound like some spoiled princess."

He smiled, his beautiful sapphire eyes sparkling with amusement. "But you are my princess." He teased.

Gently she nuzzled against his cheek. "We're partners Darling… You don't need to spoil me."

He chuckled softly, and bringing her hand up to his lips, kissed it. "I don't need to." He said, smiling. "But I'm going to do it anyway."

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him again when Darling's communicator began ringing, and they both gave a jump of surprise.

"Jeez," Darling said, clutching his heart. "That scared the shit out of me."

Reaching down, he pulled the communicator out of his pocket and answered.

"Hey, what's up Ichigo."

"Hiro," She said, sounding surprised that he had actually picked up. "You actually answered this time."

"Obviously." Darling teased back.

The image of Ichigo shook her head. "Anyway. Hiro, the rest of the squad and I are going to go explore the Garden. Do you guys want to come or not?"

Darling's response was instant. "Nah, we're good. You guys go enjoy yourselves."

"That was predictable." A voice that sounded like Goro muttered.

Ichigo smiled, amused. "Okay, well, you two enjoy yourselves. Breakfast is still sitting on the table if you guys want some."

Darling gave a start and looked over at the clock. "Is it really that late already."

"Yes, it is," Ichigo replied dryly.

Darling shook his head. "Okay, well, see you guys when you get back."

"Yeah, I'm sure we will," Ichigo replied unconvinced. Then with a smile, she hung up.

Darling turned to her. "Well, I guess that means we officially have the house to ourselves."

She smiled, and reaching forward, entwined her hand with Darling's. "I couldn't ask for anything more."

Just then, her stomach growled, and she stared down at it, but only a few seconds later, Darling's stomach growled too, and they both stared at each other giggling.

"I guess we should get some breakfast," Darling suggested.

She smiled and followed Darling out into the hall and down the stairs towards the lobby. When they arrived, she saw the squad amassing near the elevators, clearly getting ready to leave.

"Oh look," Miku commented. "They actually managed to leave their room for once."

"Maybe they're going through a rough patch," Mitsuru commented, sounding amused.

"Don't say that," Kokoro replied quietly. "That would be terrible."

"No," Darling replied with a chuckle. "Food is the master of us all eventually."

"Should have known," Ichigo said with a smile. "It's usually the only thing that gets you guys out of your room."

Darling frowned. "That's not entirely true. We spend plenty of time with you guys."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and then, shaking her head, shrugged.

"So what were you guys planning on doing all day," Goro asked.

"I actually haven't thought about it," Darling said, scratching the side of his head. He turned to her. "How about you? Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't know." She replied, thinking. "Hmmm. Oh… Actually, I have an idea."

"That was fast," Ikuno commented.

"Umm... Do we have any art supplies?" She asked.

For some reason, Darling suddenly stiffened, and she watched knowing grins flashed across Ichigo and Goro's faces.

"Yeah, we do," Goro said, sounding like he was fighting a laugh. "They're in a closet over there."

She turned and spotted a closet nestled under the landing of the final staircase.

"Okay, thanks." She said, walking over to it. Opening the door, she saw a lot of boxes. A few seconds later, Darling arrived, but when she looked up at him, he wasn't paying attention to her but instead seemed to be trying to find something before she did almost as if trying to cover something up.

She turned to look back at the squad who were beginning to walk into the elevators. "Thanks." She said, waving to Goro.

"No problem," Goro said, smirking while the squad giggled behind him. "Oh, and Zero Two, if you see a box labeled 'Hiro,' its all of his old drawings from when he was a child."

Her heart leaped into her mouth. All of Darling's drawings. She was going to get to see and experience all the beautiful things that Darling had created as a child. "Thanks, Goro!" She cried, diving into the closet. "You're the best!"

"Goro, you traitor!" Darling yelled, whipping around. "I thought we had a deal?!"

The last thing she heard from the squad was their roaring laughter before the elevator doors shut.

"Come on, where is it?" She said happily, digging through all the boxes.

"Zero Two." Darling groaned. "There's really nothing special in there why don't we do something else."

She smiled at him and stuck out her tongue. "No… I'm going to find them and stare at them all until I've memorized them."

"No…" Darling groaned. "Zero Two come on, you really don't need to see those."

"Yes, I do." She stated playfully. "All things made by Darling are special."

"Damn you, Goro." Darling hissed. Then after serval long moments of thinking, Darling placed a hand on her shoulder. "Zero Two…" He sighed. "Could we at least have breakfast first before you subject me to that?"

She sighed and gently set down the book she was holding. "Okay… But just so we're clear, I'm going to find those drawings."

Darling sighed. "Zero Two, why do you want to see my old drawings so bad? There just a dumb kid's imagination."

She smiled, "Because everything you create is special to me… And I was never around to watch you make it."

Darling shook his head and smiled. "Damn you…" He sighed with a small chuckle. "How could I refuse that."

She hummed happily and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You can't, That's the point."

He sniffed in amusement. "You're too clever for your own good, you know that?"

She smiled. "Come on, Darling. Let's go have to breakfast."

* * *

"Found it!" Zero Two cried triumphantly, pulling out a box that was labeled with big black letters 'Hiro.'

He let out a groan of despair. He had really been hoping that box hadn't been in there and that Goro was just lying. But to his dismay, his princess had just pulled out that accursed box and was holding it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

She turned to him the biggest smile on her face, she was so happy.

He tried to return what happiness he could, but he simply couldn't muster anything more than a half-hearted shake of the head.

But even that didn't dampen her mood, she stood up and laughing ran up the stairs and disappeared out of sight.

He sighed, resigned to his fate. Bending over, he picked up the boxes full of art supplies and slowly began to ascend the stair. Hopefully, if he took long enough, she would have finished searching through the dumb pictures.

When he finally got there, however, he was confronted by something far worse. Zero Two had spread out all the artwork that she could in a big circle around her and was staring at it in awe, the biggest most adorable smile on her face. Slowly he made his way over to the bed and sat down, trying not to catch even the smallest glimpse of any of the pictures she had laid out.

"Darling." She hummed completely engrossed. "These are wonderful, I want to plaster it all over the walls so I can see it all the time."

"Kill me first." He groaned horrified, unconsciously his eyes drifted to a particularly bad mess of colors which might have been trying to encapsulate Zero Two as a young girl but... He groaned. What the heck were the big red things sticking out the top of her head. Were those supposed to be her horns? And why was she nothing but a rectangle with a circle for a head and sticks for arms and legs? He clutched the side of his head in genuine pain. He literally would rather be doing anything else in the entire world if it meant he didn't have to sit through this.

"Darling, is this supposed to be me?" She asked, holding up the very picture he had just been agonizing over.

He let out a moan of genuine pain and barely mustered enough will to look up. "Probably…." He groaned.

She stared at it, smiling, drinking in every detail of the picture.

Then he heard the last sound he ever wanted to hear.

"Hahahaha!" Laughter exploded out of her, and she collapsed onto her back, gasping for breath. She rolled back and forth, clutching the picture completely unable to control herself.

He let out a pained groan and collapsed his face in his hands. It was too much. He was on the verge of spontaneously combusting from pure embarrassment. What was she going to think of him after she was done laughing? How much of a dork was she going to think he was?

He sat there, muttering like a lunatic, his head in his hands. He didn't even notice Zero Two when she got up and sat down next to him.

"Darling." She purred in his ear. "Come on, don't be upset. I think it's sweet."

She gently nuzzled him, slowly, encouraging him to pay attention to her. He tried to remain upset and embarrassed, but with Zero Two, it simply didn't work. Her presence just simply had an effect on him that made it impossible to remain upset.

He sat up and smiled. "Why would my dumb drawing make you so happy?" He said with a small sigh.

She chuckled softly. "Because it shows that you were thinking of me." She said in the sweetest voice that melted his heart, into a fiery nest of love. "Even though they took your memories, they couldn't take what we meant to each other. Something inside, you knew that something was wrong. So it expressed itself through these pictures." She kissed his cheek. "That's why I love them."

He chuckled softly. "You really are perfect. You can find the light in anything, can't you."

She blushed, "Only when it comes to you, Darling."

He smiled and leaned against her shoulder, "Well, I don't know how you do it but, I guess If you can find enjoyment out of these, then, feel free."

She smiled. "How about we do something different."

He looked up at her. "Like what?"

"Well…" She said, looking over at the art supplies. "Let's draw together!"

He felt the color drain from his face. Looking at old drawings was one thing. At least with those, he could hide behind his lack of skill by saying that they were drawings made by a child. But being asked to draw now! What could he do to hide his lack of skill?

"Come on, Darling!" She said cheerfully. "It'll be fun!"

He groaned but allowed himself to be coaxed to the floor, and then making Zero Two do every step of the process allowed her to place a pencil in his hand and a piece of paper below him.

Pretending to draw he watched Zero Two get out some supplies for herself, and begin to draw, her pencil elegantly dancing across the page, as she created the masterpiece that she had envisioned in her mind.

He watched in awe as she drew an image of two people kissing, but what made it really cool is that it was in the same style as The Beast and the Prince, which made it wonderfully expressive and unique. At first, he thought she was drawing the princess and the prince from the book, but when she added pink to the princess' hair, he realized that she was drawing them.

Just then, she looked up. "Whatcha drawing?" She asked, peeking over his shoulder.

He shrugged and showed her. All he had drawn was a bumpy circle, he had been so engrossed in her drawing that he had barely touched his own.

She frowned in slight displeasure. "Come on, Darling, I wanna see you draw."

Then turning so he couldn't see her picture, she kept drawing. He let out a deflated sigh and like a snail, returned to his own drawing.

* * *

A while later, he looked at his completed piece and was forced to restrain a groan. It was atrocious. He had tried to draw the prince and the princess holding hands, but... If he hadn't known what he was trying to draw... He shook his head. Better to destroy this before Zero Two could see it.

"Darling!" He heard suddenly.

He stiffened. "Yes..."

He felt her gently walking her fingers up his back, and he knew that with a few seconds, his picture would be in view. Hurriedly he turned around to greet her hiding his picture behind his back.

"Hey, Zero Two." He said, giving her a nervous grin. "What are you up to?"

She smiled playfully. "I wanna see Darling's drawing."

He gulped nervously. "First, you got to let me see your thou." He said, thinking fast. Maybe if he could distract her enough with all the praise he was sure he was about to lather on her masterpiece, then maybe she'd forget about his drawing.

She pouted suspicious of his motives, but keeping her eyes on him, she retrieved her picture and showed it to him.

"Whoa!" He gasped, staring at her picture. "Zero Two... This… This is amazing."

"It's not that great." She said, blushing. "There's a ton of mistakes, and the whole thing is lopsided."

He scoffed. "I do hope you're joking. Because this is perfect as far as I can tell."

"Look at the detail." He whispered in awe.

He stared amazed at the pattern of the drawing on Zero Two's dress. It was so intricate and detailed. His eyes drifted over to the prince. Damn. If only he could look that good. If this was Zero Two's subtle way of communicating what her ideal man would look like, then he was screwed.

"Zero Two!" He said, turning to her. "You're an amazing artist."

She blushed, and she refused to look at him, trying to find something to divert the attention away from her.

"Your turn." She said suddenly. "I want to see your picture."

Ice flooded his stomach, and he unconsciously glanced over at his overturned picture. Zero Two noticed this and dived for it with a cry of glee.

"Zero Two, no!" He cried diving after it too.

She, unfortunately, was far too quick and snatched up the drawing, long before he ever had a chance of grabbing it. Giggling, she danced away from him and out of his reach.

He watched with baited breath as Zero Two slowly gazed at the drawing, her eyes drinking in every detail.

He felt his stomach twist into a tight knot as he stared, looking for the first sign of her reaction.

"Pf.."

His ears perked up, and he stared suspiciously at Zero Two, noting her tightly sealed lips almost like she was containing something.

"Pfff… Ha, hahaahahahahaha."

Her laughter came erupting out of her in waves bubbling and sparkling, but at that moment, it was the last sound he wanted to hear. He let out a loud groaned and buried his face in his hands. This was precisely what he had been trying to avoid.

"I love this picture!" She said suddenly.

"Waa.." He replied, baffled. "What in the world would possess you to think such a thing?"

She hummed happily and hugged the picture to her. "Because you made this picture for me. It was never about the artwork, its the fact that you put effort into creating this for me."

He blushed and hide his face. "I-It's not that special…." Then a thought occurred to him, and he glanced up at her suspiciously. "Wait a minute… If it was so special, then why did you laugh?"

She blushed and said in a mumble. "Well… Don't take this the wrong way, Darling. I really love this picture… It's just that…. Well... Well, it is a little funny looking."

He chuckled. "Well, at least you're not that blind." He glanced up at her. "That's why I'm going to leave the drawing to you."

Slowly she put the picture down and then stared at him, her eyes alight. He recoiled in shock.

"Oh no, you're not." She growled, playfully crawling towards him.

"Darling is going to be drawing all day long, and I'm going to keep every single drawing you make."

His eyes widened in horror. One drawing was enough. "No way." He replied, retreating back. "Not in a million years would that ever happen."

"Oh, yes, it will." She said, grinning evilly.

Then all of a sudden, she launched forward and tackled him. He barely had time to catch his breath before her fingers attacked his body, tickling him and driving him over the edge. He burst into a fit of giggles, unable to control himself as her fingers danced over him, and he rolled around on the floor, helpless.

"Z-Zero Two stop." He wheezed, giggling.

"You have to promise me." She teased, continuing her assault.

"Okay… Okay…" He gasped. "F-Fine, I'll d-do it."

She sat back on her heels, looking satisfied.

Still, out of breath, he sat up. "Okay… But If I'm drawing, you have to draw too."

She smiled wickedly, and he knew instantly that he wasn't going to like the suggestion that was about to come out of her mouth. "How about this. For every drawing that you make, I'll do one."

Mentally he groaned. He'd been hoping he could just scoot by the rest of the day by going at a snail's pace and only doing a few. Zero Two, however, just dashed those hopes and had him cornered.

He sighed and shook his head. "Fine, you win…"

She smiled. "Okay, let's get started!"

Without another moment's hesitation, she began pulling out more art supplies and resigning himself, he went back to work, attempting that get colored lines into something that resembled a picture.

* * *

He sat back against the bed and gazed at their artwork spread out all over the floor. They' ed been at it for most of the day, only occasionally stopping to eat or stretch. As a result, Zero Two already had a stack of beautiful masterworks that she had been working on. Surprisingly he too had is own pile of artwork although the quality has complete incomparable. The only reason he actually had more than like two was because he had found a stash of finger paints in the art box. He liked using those far better because all he had to do was make colorful shapes, and by the time he was done, he had something that had a chance of being slightly interesting. Zero Two hadn't entirely approved of his new interest and thought he was just lazy. But since he was creating something that didn't make him cringe and want to hide in the closet, he decided to overlook Zero Two's slight disapproval.

"Okay, Darling." She said, turning to him. "Time to show me your artwork."

He gathered up what he had and turned to her. "Alright, I have mine. You got yours?"

"Yep." She smiled, holding a need stack of drawings.

He smiled, and they spread their art out on the floor, then trading places they gazed at the other's work.

"Wow!" He gasped. "Zero Two, this is absolutely breathtaking."

He gazed out at what looked like the beginnings of a book similar in style to The Beast and the Prince except that the main characters were him and Zero Two.

He looked up at Zero Two, who was not paying attention to him at all and was smiling at one of the drawings he had actually done.

"I love these." She said, not looking up.

He blushed and shook his head. "Oh, Zero Two... You have the strangest taste when it comes to artwork."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I think they have character." She said in a pretend, annoyed tone. "And I don't appreciate you criticizing my Darling's artwork."

He chuckled and shook his head. Turning his gaze back to the beginnings of her book, he said. "You'd better finish this. I'd really like to see how this story continues."

She smiled and gently piled his drawings into a neat stack and put them off to the side. "As long as you promise that to get rid of any of my drawings." She said, emphasizing all of his drawings she had just stacked.

Just then, sunlight in the room shifted, and Zero Two was hidden in shadow, and with a jolt, he realized that the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon.

"Jeez." He said, looking out the window at the sunset. "Is it that late already."

"Well, I am going to go take a shower before it gets too late." Zero Two said, standing up, then blushing slightly, she added. "Do you maybe want to take one simultaneously so that we can be meet back up here around the same time?"

An idea struck him, and a spark of excitement dash through him.

"Zero Two." He said, blushing. "Do you… Do you instead maybe wanna take a shower together?"

Her face flushed crimson, and a happy smile began to spread across her face. "Darling, you're a pervert." She said in a voice that was almost a moan. Gently she ran her hands over her perfect breasts, emphasizing just how full and supple they were. He felt something sparking deep inside him as he saw her nipples erect and stabbing against her nightshirt begging to be released.

The member between his legs stood up, stabbing against his pants, begging to be united with what lay between her legs.

Zero Two moaned and reached down and gently began to remove the white bed pants that she wore, revealing her light pink underwear. Then she removed her nightgown pull it over her head, leaving her in nothing but a bra and underwear.

"Darling." She teased, playing with the straps of her underwear. "I thought you said that you wanted to take a shower with me."

He stood up and walking over to her pulled her into a hug and kissed her, then separating he gazed into her eyes, watching as they sparkled with love and affection. Gently she nuzzled him, the soft skin of her face, radiating an inner warmth that was so pure that he couldn't help but be caressed by its presence.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered, gently running a hand through her silky hair.

Her already flushed cheeks burned turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "I love you." She whispered.

He chuckled softly and backing up stripped to his underwear. "Hold on, save the confessions for later. You said that you wanted a shower first, right?"

She smiled, her gaze flicking between his lips and the bulging mound of fabric between his legs. "That was your idea… But I could be persuaded, to accept."

He grinned, "I think you've already made up your mind." He gave a meaningful glance at her underwear, where a wet spot from her excitement was already appearing.

She blushed and crossed her legs, "Darling, don't tease me."

He chuckled and gently grabbing her hand, lead her over to the door. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at her. Then turning away from the stairs, he began walking in the direction of the bathroom, he had discovered the other day.

"Darling?" Zero Two said, confused, giving his hand a little squeeze. "The showers are the other way."

He stopped in front of a door and smiled. "For the rest of the squad. Being on the third floor has its perks, however."

Turning the doorknob, the door swung open to reveal the bathroom that he had discovered.

"Wait a minute!" She gasped. "We have our own bathroom!"

He smiled. "Yep, I found it the other day, but forgot to mention it."

She looked at him, a big smile on her face. "And this is just a bathroom, right? It's not labeled boy or girl?"

He smiled. "I don't think so."

By now, Zero Two was practically jumping from excitement. "So that means we can use the same bathroom, without risking having to be caught by the rest of the squad?"

He nodded.

"Yes!" She cried bounding forward, her hair fluttering like wings as she excitedly examined the bathroom.

He chuckled softly and walked in after her closing the door behind him. When the door clicked shut Zero Two stopped, and he saw a shiver run through her. She straightened, and looking up, they stared at each other, both unconsciously aware that something special was getting ready to blossom between them.

Drawn together by an unexplainable force, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her. His hands danced across her back, feeling her soft silky skin and caressing every line and curve that presented itself to him. She moaned into him, and he felt her wrap her hands around his waist as she pulled him close. He let out a lust-filled moan as he felt the bulge in his underwear pressing against the hidden flower between her legs. In a fit of passion, his hands grabbed the clips of her bra and desperately fumbled with them, trying to get them undone.

She moaned, and her hands grabbed the straps of his underwear and yanked them down. His member sprung fourth, finally released of its confines. He moaned as his hot wet swollen tip prodded the bottom of her belly.

After what seems an eternity, her bra finally came undone and tumbled to the floor, exposing her gorgeous swollen breasts. But before he fell to temptation, however, he forced himself to back off.

"W-We should take a shower first." He panted.

Zero Two pouted slightly, looking mildly disappointed, but the fire quickly reignited in her eyes as she gazed at the shower.

"Darling." She purred to get his attention.

"Yeah." He said, smiling.

She hummed softly and began to trace her swollen breasts with her fingertips, emphasizing just how full and supple they were. Then with a grin, she followed the lines of her stomach, and his eyes followed hungrily drinking in every inch of her perfect skin. Then with a smile that suggested that she knew exactly what she was doing, she agonizingly began to remove her underwear, inching it down at a mind-numbingly slow pace. His mind was racing, and his heart felt like it was going to explode. The part for her that made his mind go numb with passion and lust was resting right between her legs, and Zero Two was going to show it to him in all of its naked beauty. And a second later.

She revealed her most intimate place, exposing the perfect lotus that lay between her legs, already dripping its sweet, succulent nectar. With a smile, she discarded her underwear. She stood there in all her naked glory, her horns glowing, pulsating with passion and love, her eyes sparkling so brilliantly that it eclipsed all the gems in the world. She spasmed with anticipation, the mere action emphasizing just how perfect she was.

Trying to control himself, he stepped out of his underwear, and fighting to not touch and rub every nook and crany of her body, he gently grabbed her hand and led her into the shower.

Kissing her, he reached with his free hand and turned on the water. The first blast hit them like a cascade of freezing ice, and they separated with a gasp of surprise.

"Oh!" Zero Two gasped.

Just then, the hot water finally ascended the pipes and washed over them in a wave of warm relief.

They both let out a contented sigh of pleasure, feeling that warm bliss cascade over them and stimulate their already sensitive bodies.

With a smile Zero Two gently reached up and ran her hands through his wet hair, feeling it slid through her fingers.

He smiled and closed his eyes in peaceful bliss as Zero Two's soft, delicate fingers gently massaged his scalp. Then on a spur of inspiration, he reached over to the soap dispenser and deposited some soap in his hands. Reaching up to her head, he gently began to wash her hair.

She hummed happily and began to do the same with his, gently separating some of the tangles in his wild black hair.

"You really should take better care of your hair." Zero Two hummed, removing another tangle.

He chuckled. "But then you wouldn't be having so much fun."

She shook her head with a sigh and chuckled softly.

All of a sudden, Zero Two leaned forward to untangle more of his wild hair, and her aroused nipples rubbed against his chest, making both of them shudder. Their eyes swung to meet each other, each of them staring with a reignited passion. They stared at each other, both fully aware that something was about to happen.

And then it broke. He shuddered and reached over to the soap dispenser getting as much of it as he could. Then reaching forward, he began to wash her. He started at her neck and shoulders, gently massaging them. Then grabbing more soap, he began to wash her arms and hands, paying extra special attention to each one of her fingers, feeling how soft and delicate they were.

When he was finished, he grabbed more soap and whispered in her ear, his voice thick with longing. "Turn around."

She smiled and face radiating love and gratitude, but without saying a word, she did what she was asked.

Slowly he began to rub her back, marveling at how smooth and slender she was, feeling her lightly muscled body beneath his fingertips. Her skin was just so soft and supple but at the same time, had such a unique firmness to it that defied comprehension. How could one girl be so perfect? How could she be so perfect that even something as simple as skin was so mesmerizingly unique?

Gently he let his hands follow her tantalizing figure feeling as her hips gently curved out, giving her the figure that made her so absolutely breathtaking. He felt his member jolt with excitement stimulated by the feelings of love and intimacy that made him so deeply connected to the woman he loved.

"Zero Two…" He groaned. "I love you. I love you so much."

"Darling." She moaned her voice so thick with emotion that is was barely audible.

He smiled and standing up, reached over to the soap dispenser, and lathered up his hands till they were nice and sudsy, then moving around to her front, he began to clean every inch of her skin. He worked his way down, cleaning every little nook and cranny as he worked his way down all the way to her toes. He, however, purposely missed two special spots, and Zero Two knew it, which made them even hungrier for his attention.

He gazed up the two spots he had missed clearly visible to him. The flower between her legs was in full bloom, and her petals were spread wide, begging for his attention. The elegant hole nestled at her center was gently undulating, and he knew that it was already dripping with nectar.

His mind was racing. More than anything, he wanted to nestle himself between her legs and gently harvest as much of her nectar as he could. He glanced up and saw how desperate her breasts were for attention. They were so gorgeous. Her breasts were so swollen with passion and love that his mind was roped into their desire. His eyes came to rest on her nipples, and he let out a groan of desire. Her nipples were so breathtakingly stimulating. Unable to resist the lure of her breasts, he got more soap from the dispenser and began to wash them, trying to providing the most gentle and stimulating massage he could for her.

"You spoil me too much, Darling.." She moaned.

He smiled and whispered in her ear. "I'm never going to stop."

A sneaky smile started to play at the corners of her mouth, and her once relaxed muscles became taught as he stated his intention.

"Oh, yes, you will." She growled, spinning around and pushing him against the wall. "Because it's your turn."

Before he could say or do anything, she reached her hand up to the soap dispenser and retrieved what she needed. Then smiling began to wash his chest, her soft, delicate fingers tracing over every muscle as she washed. He giggled slightly as she gently tickled his belly, her soapy fingers dancing over his skin like a thousand little raindrops. Her hands dashed down his legs, washing them at blinding speed, but somehow she deftly managed to still get everything. She made the return trip up his back giving his butt a firm squeeze as she passed.

He growled sightly. He was not about to be undone by her, he needed a different approach. Glancing at the shower curtain, a decision came to him. It was time for a different area.

Abruptly he dashed out of the shower soap sods, still covering his body from his failure to rinse properly. Zero Two was right behind him, only barely managing to shut the water off on her way out as she chased after him. Laughing, he caught her in the towel he had grabbed off the wall and began to dry her. She let out a small yelp from being unexpectedly grabbed by a towel, but by the time she figured out what was going on, he had already gotten most of the key areas.

"Your turn." She said, playfully snatching the towel away from him and launching her own towel attack.

She only managed to get a few of the larger areas before he dodged away from her, and out of the bathroom turning, he ran back to their room, giggling and laughing, leaving wet footprints across the floor as Zero Two chased after him. They were both so preoccupied with their childish game that they didn't even notice that their bodies were still aching for each other and that the evidence of their desire was still visibly present.

Running into their room, he slammed the door behind him and pulled her into a kiss, his erection pressing up against her belly and her nipples stabbing into his chest. The mouths locked their lips colliding and separating in an intense dance of passion. He was so overwhelmed with love and the desire to connect with her that everything else was completely forgotten. All that mattered was her. She was the only important thing in his life.

With a giggle, she spun away from him, her breasts jiggling in such a tantalizing way that it was hard to focus on anything else.

"Darling!" She giggled. "If you want another kiss, you're going to have to catch me!"

"Well, we can't have that." He said, smiling. Then with a sudden start, he dashed forward, trying to capture her with speed.

She giggled playfully, and dodged onto the bed and began jumping her hair flapping around her like wings.

"Come here." He growled, playfully chasing after her.

"Missed me!" She cried, jumping off the bed and onto the floor.

He leaped after her and landed right in front of where she was dodging towards. She recoiled and staggered back, her foot landing on a stray drawing they forgot to pick up, and with a yelp of surprise, she slipped and fell. But before she crashed to the floor, he dashed over to her and caught her.

"Got you." He said, sweetly gently lowering her to the floor.

She smiled. "You're quick."

He chuckled softly. "What can I say. I got to keep my princess safe, don't I?"

She grinned. "Oh, don't worry, your princess is perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

With that, she flipped him around and sat down on top of him, a smug smile on her face. He stared up at her, his eyes alight with fiery passion. In this position, he couldn't help but be acutely aware of how stimulating her body was. He had the perfect angle of her breasts, seeing how gorgeously supple and full they were, topped with the tantalizingly pink nipples that made up the peaks of her perfection. What didn't help his overactive mind was Zero Two was rubbing the sobbing wet flower between her legs against him, depositing all of her excitement on to him.

He groaned, wrestling to keep his desires in check.

Zero Two smiled a smug look on her face, tantalizingly she bent down and licked his cheek.

"Aah! Zero Two." He giggled.

She smiled and buried her face in his neck, her nose ticking him as she enthusiastically sniffed him.

Then all of a sudden, it stopped, and curious as to why she had stopped, he opened his eyes and saw that she was looking towards the bed.

"What's that?" Zero Two said curiously.

"What's what?" He asked, straining his neck to try and see under the bed.

"Hmm."

Gently she crawled off him and made her way over to the bed, then flattening herself to the floor she reached under the bed. A second later, she pulled out a book and looking at the cover, her eyes went wide.

"What?" He asked.

She didn't say anything but just sat there completely stunned.

He crawled over to her and looking over her shoulder, read the title of the book. "Babies, and how They're made."

"What a minute." He gasped I remember this book.

"You do?" She asked, confused, turning to look at him.

"Yeah. Um… R-Remember the day that we went to the lake?"

She nodded. "Y-Yeah…"

"I.. I think I remember getting this from the library." He said, pondering. "I believe I intended to come on show this to you. But why didn't I….."

"Never mind that." Zero Two said a strange look in her eyes. "What's a baby?"

He nodded at the book. "Let's find out."

She turned the first page, and they began reading.

"The union between a man and a woman?" She asked, confused after serval long moments. "What does this mean?"

Gently he wrapped an arm around her, and they kept reading, delving deeper into what this book had to say. A moment later, she flipped the page and…

"Wha… What?" She mumbled. "T-This… T-This is a baby?"

He swallowed hard, trying to contain all the emotions that were building inside him. Completely lost for words, he stared down at the picture of the baby, sitting on the page its eyes conveying a sense of wonder and curiosity beyond his comprehension.

"W-We can create this?" She mumbled. "H-How… How is that possible?"

They turned the page and kept reading discovering, even more, realizing what their bodies were made for. Both of them read in completely stunned silence until the book started explaining what their bodies could do. They simply couldn't contain themselves.

"Zero Two.." He whispered in awe. "I-If this true... C-Can, our bodies really do all this?"

She didn't say a word but just stared down at herself, her eyes as wide as saucers. Almost absentmindedly, her hand reached up and touched one of her breasts. "That's what these are for?…." She whispered, stunned and confused. Gently she squeezed the breast around her nipple, and he knew that she was remembering the part about her breasts generating milk to feed a baby. Her hand drifted down to right below her belly button, to the place where the book had said that her womb would be. Gently he reached his hand around and held her belly too.

"I can make a baby…" She whispered in awe. "Is it really possible to swell that much?" She shook her head. "No… How can this be true? How could my body possibly be able to do all this?"

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "I believe it."

She looked up at him, overwhelmed. "You really think I can do all of this?"

Gently he gave her an affectionate nuzzle. "Of course. Because you are that amazing. I don't doubt for one second that you can do this." He chuckled softly and looked down between his legs. "In fact, I feel a little jealous. All I'm good for is getting you pregnant; after that, all I get to do is sit and watch."

Zero Two shuddered at the word 'pregnant,' her mind slowly piecing together what they were capable of. "We can make a child?" She breathed. "Just by loving each other, we can create a new life?"

He felt his heart pounding in his chest. Before Zero Two had spoken it aloud, he hadn't really fully absorbed the implications of what this book was talking about. He had been so caught up in the mechanical aspects of what their bodies could do that he had glossed over the most important part. This was a living person they were talking about. This wasn't just some drawing that could be discarded or ignored. This was a living and breathing person. Something… No.. Somebody that was capable of thinking and feeling on their own. They were talking about creating a new life. Something wholly unique and indescribable that nothing could ever replicate.

They looked at each other the same question on their minds. How do you create a baby?

They snuggled close to each other, and went back to reading, both determined to learn how to create a baby. A few pages later, they found their answer.

"S-Sex?" Zero Two muttered experimentally. "So... Darling if you stick your.." She looked back at the book. "P-Penis... Inside my v-vagina, then we'll be having sex." She paused, trying to piece together all the information that they'd learned. "Then, if you e-ejaculate inside me, I'll get pregnant with your child."

He smiled and stroked her belly. "Our child." He whispered. "Remember the book said that the baby is the combination of its mother and its father."

She smiled, and reached down between her legs and spread the lips of her vagina, reaching a finger into the hole that she now understood existed for the sole purpose of creating babies. Its sole purpose was to be a gateway for life, to guide new life to the womb that she would create it in.

He, too, looked down at his own genitals. Before now, he had never understood what his balls were for. They had always just been a thing that existed. It was so weird to think that this entire time, they had been producing a substance that could create life. He thought back to the time that Zero Two had pleasured him and made that golden substance spurt out of his tip. To think that this entire time that golden substance was his sperm and was capable of getting Zero Two pregnant was amazing.

Gently she released her lips and absentmindedly flipped through a few pages until something made her stop. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth in shock.

Quickly he looked up to see what was wrong, and when he saw what she was looking at, he let out a gasp of shock.

They stared utterly dumbfounded at an image of a baby's head beginning to push its way out of its mother's vagina. But their surprises weren't over, as they stared in utter amazement at a series of images that showed the baby's progression out of its mother and into the world.

But it was the final image that really left them speechless. All Zero Two could manage was a long moan of desire, as they stared at an image of the newborn baby. Everything about it was so precious. It was so innocent and helpless that even in print, he felt an urge to protect it. He wanted to pick it up and hold it close so that it could be safe and nurtured.

As he continued to stare at the page, a word from the caption below the picture drove its way into his mind.

"Birth." He breathed.

So that's what this amazing process was called. He sat there, marveling. So not only could girls make babies, they could give birth to them too? And to top the whole thing off, they could feed the baby also. He sat there, thinking. What was his role? If he wanted a child, all he could do is get Zero Two pregnant. Beyond that, he was practically useless. No. A part of him whispered. He had a role. It may not have to do with actually creating the child, but he had a role none the less. For a moment, he allowed his mind to run and imagined a pregnant Zero Two, her belly swollen with a child, her breasts full of life-nurturing milk. She stared at him with her loving smile and a hand on her pregnant belly. What was his responsibly? The image of Zero Two reached her other hand around and held her belly, gently nurturing and protecting the baby inside her. And as he stared at her, it came to him. He had a job. He had a role.

"F-Family.." Zero Two muttered.

"What?" He asked, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed it, but Zero Two had resumed reading while he had been thinking to himself.

"This book says that when you have a baby, you start a family." She explained. "It signifies that we are a group of people related to each other, and are all dedicated to loving and supporting each other."

He turned and looked at Zero Two. His precious Zero Two. His overactive mind went into overdrive, fueled by his instinctual desires. He imagined what it would be like to start a family with her. To get her pregnant, watch a baby grow inside her, and watch her bring their child into the world. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He could see it. His precious Zero Two lying on a bed, their baby in her arms. He shivered. An insane desire to make that dream a reality was trying to tear its way out of him.

He looked at her, and their eyes met both alight with the same passion and drive. This book had described what they had been looking for this entire time, and without even thinking about it, they had both come to a subconscious agreement. They stared at each other, their heart rates accelerating as they rushed towards the climax they both knew was coming. And barely a few moments later, it came.

"Darling!" She moaned, looking at him, her voice thick with love and desire. "Make a baby with me!"

She turned and pulled him into a passionate embrace, rubbing her hot sopping wet genitals against his erection. "I want to make a baby with you. I want to feel our love growing inside me."

He let out a lust-filled groan and rubbed his erection in the petals of her lotus, covering himself in her sweet sticky nectar. "So do I." He moaned. "I want to start a family with you, and watch as your belly swells as our baby grows inside you."

She let out a sob of pure joy and happiness, her face melting into the biggest happiest smile. Her face full of desire, and her chest heaving in anticipation, she rolled onto her back and spread her legs revealing the lotus that lay between her legs. "Darling." She moaned. "Get me pregnant."

His body was screaming at him, every fiber of his being was urging him to roll on top of her and thrust himself inside her. His member had swollen to its full size, and his tip was dripping its wet sticky excitement. He wanted nothing more than to thrust himself as deep as he could go and deposit all of his essence deep in her womb. But with a colossal effort, he restrained himself. Zero Two deserved to be loved and caressed and made to feel like she was the center of the world. If she was willing to get pregnant and birth their child into the world, then the moment of the baby's conception should be truly special.

So restraining himself, he crawled over to her and gave her a little kiss, then slipping his arm under her knees and making sure he supported her back, he picked her up and held her to his chest.

"Darling.." She hummed, gently nuzzling his chest. "What are you doing?"

He smiled. "Shh... I got something planned for you."

She giggled softly. "I know.. You said that you wanted to make a baby with me."

He chuckled and carried her over to the bed. "And I do... But we're going to do this right."

She hummed affectionately. "And what way is that?"

Gently he kissed her forehead. "This way."

Setting her down, he laid her on the bed like she was the most precious delicate thing in the world. Then with all the happiness in the world shining from his smile, he crawled on top of her and gazed into her beautiful emerald eyes.

"I love you." He whispered. "You are the most precious thing in the entire world."

"Hmmmmm." She let out a hum that was filled with so much affection that his heart melted. "But Darling." She said in a teasing manner. "I might be outdone soon." Gently she stroked her belly. "The baby's going to be here in nine months."

He chuckled and gently nuzzled her cheek and whispered in her ear. "Let's not get ahead of yourselves. I haven't gotten you pregnant yet."

"Then what are you waiting for." She moaned.

Gently he reached down and rubbed the skin above her womb. "I've got to prep mommy first." He breathed in her ear.

"But I'm already ready." She moaned, a spasm of anticipation running through her.

He smiled, and gently caressing her face with his hands, he kissed her, his tongue gently poking at her lips, asking for her approval. It came and with a rush. Suddenly her tongue dashed forward into his mouth and began caressing all of its favorite places, paying extra special attention to his large canines. With equal fervor, his tongue dashed forward and intertwined with hers. Their lips collided in a battle of passion and love, both of them trying to outdo each other in their devotion to the other.

With a gasp, they separated their chests heaving as they desperately tried to regain their breath. But even this action-filled with their lovemaking since both of their bodies had cranked their bonding pheromones into overdrive, and now they were both becoming intoxicated with the scent of the other. He felt a growling in his chest, an insane need to intertwine his whole being with her and forge an unbreakable bond with his other half. Being Hiro wasn't enough anymore; he needed her. He needed to be a part of her and have a part of her be a part of him.

"I can't live without you." He moaned, nuzzling the side of her face and rubbing himself in her scent. "I need you. You're the center of my universe."

She bit his ear in a fit of passion and ecstasy. "I'm yours, Darling! And I'll protect you forever."

He moaned and felt waves of passion wash over him. All he wanted to do was plunge himself deep inside her and get her pregnant this very instant. But controlling himself, he gently kissed his way back up her jawline, leaving a trail of passionate little love fires. When he finally reached her lips, he gave them a tender kiss and then stared up into Zero Two's gorgeous emerald eyes. She gazed at him with all the passion and love in the world, beaming her very being into him. As he stared at her, he noticed that her horns were glowing, pulsating with a deep warm, loving light. Instantly he became aware that his own horns were aching too, and for some bizarre reason, he felt the insatiable need to rub his horns against hers.

"Darling." She moaned.

He smiled and leaning forward, gently rubbed his horns against hers. Instantly an almost otherworldly sensation dashed through him, and he felt his consciousness loosen from his body. His mind felt like it was drifting between his own body and Zero Two's, and with a start of surprise, he felt Zero Two's presence in his body. Then all of a sudden, he heard… no... felt something beating. With a start, he realized that it was Zero Two's heartbeat, its presence washing over him in waves of love.

"Wow." He moaned, staring at her, feeling his mind drift in and out of his body. "This is weird."

"I know." She groaned. "I can feel you inside me. It's so hard to tell where I stop and you begin."

He chuckled and let his mind wander through Zero Two searching through her deepest desires. It didn't take him long until he felt a desperate desire for love and attention radiating from her breasts and between her legs. Her desire was so powerful that it was enveloping him, wrapping him in her pleasure and begging him for attention. His own desire started to turn into a blazing hot white fire, urging him to connect with her and create new life. But with all of his effort, he mastered his desires and used it as fuel to pleasure the woman he loved.

Separating himself from her, his mind jumped back into his own body, and he stared down at her, breathing hard. Then kissing every inch of skin he could touch, he began to work his way down her neck and towards her gorgeous breasts. Then barely touching them his let his fingers brush against her skin, providing the most tantalizingly subtle amount of stimulation. Then gently, he began to add the tiniest amount of pressure, gently massaging her breasts, and stimulating them so that they'd be ready to perform the vital task they' ed be needed for in the future.

"Darling…" She moaned as she began to writhe in anticipation.

He smiled and eyed her erect nipples, his aroused mind imagining that milk would look like coming out of them. He groaned and launched forward, gently taking her nipple into his mouth, sucking and massaging them so that he could pleasure his perfect princess. Her nipple was so soft and delicate but was firm and erect with the most unique undesirable texture. Unconsciously his spare hand drifted up to her other breast, and he began to massage that too, gently rolling her nipple between his fingers.

"Darling!.." She moaned.

With one final suck, he released her breasts and changed tacks kissing his way down her body. When he came to the place where her womb was, he began placing hundreds of little kisses all over it, honoring the place where their baby would grow. He trailed his little passion fires all the way down her hip bones feeling the structure that would protect their baby until it was ready. Just then, the wet sweet smell of Zero Two's flower overwhelmed him and instinctively drawn to it; he trailed his kisses down towards it. When he got there, he gently kissed around the petals of her blossoming flower gently teasing her.

"Don't tease me.." She moaned.

He smiled and gave her engorged little bud little flick with his tongue.

"Darling….." She moaned, her voice trembling with pent up desire.

He smirked. "Don't lie… You like being teased."

"You're an a-ass." She panted.

He smiled, and with the lightest touch, let his tongue explore the delicate lips between her legs, hunting for all the little sweet deposits of nectar that were buried in her folds. Every time he found you, he let out a hum of excitement, and the vibrations instantly earned him a moan of pleasure. When he was finished, he made his way up to the perfect little bud nestled at the apex of her flower. Gently he began flicking it with his tongue, which sent Zero Two into a fit of pleasure her legs spasming as she pulled his head even deeper into her. He smiled and continued his task, allowing his lips to start creating a little bit of suction.

"Pant. Pant. Darling…" She groaned.

He smiled and slowly slipped his fingers deep into the wet sticky hole that all her nectar was leaking from. Instantly he felt her walls squeeze tightly around his fingers and gently began squeezing them almost as if milking his fingers.

She let out a gasp and tried to say something, but all that came out was a mumble.

Smiling, he bent his fingers and began searching for the spot that she had enjoyed last time. He found it, and with a smirk, gently began to stroke it with his fingers.

Her reaction was instant, and she let a long series of moans.

Encouraged, he picked up the speed his tongue and fingers working in simultaneous overdrive to pleasure her. He knew that she was almost there. He was so close if he could just please her enough to get her over that final hurdle.

She spasmed and moaned her whole body completely absorbed in her pleasure. Suddenly her legs tighten vice-like around him, and her hands pulled his head deep into her.

"Darling!" She cried.

She arched her back and pressed herself against him as her sweet nectar squirted from her, splashing all over his face. Completely covered in her wet juices, he raised his head, a huge smile on his face. He done it. She was so happy. And even though she was spasming and trembling that smile on her face. The smile that meant that she was in a world of her own, filled with unadulterated pleasure.

Giggling happily, he crawled up next to her and watched her slowly regain control of herself. When she finally was in control enough, she turned to look at him, her smile filled with endless amounts of passion and love.

"You ready." He teased.

"Y-Yes.." She moaned.

With the most loving smile, he crawled on top of her, feeling her aroused breasts press against his chest. Gently he slipped his arms under her shoulders and gently cupped her head feeling her silky hair run through his fingers. She moaned into his ear, and he felt her wrap her arms and legs around him, pulling herself as close as possible. She pressed her flower against his excitement, encouraging him to sheath himself inside her.

He groaned and rubbed himself against her lotus, covering his member with her nectar and mixing his own juices in with hers. Gently his tip explored her flower, and when he felt her opening gently trying to pull him in, he let out a loud moan.

"Zero Two.." He groaned, fighting to keep from plunging himself deep inside her and depositing all of his essence deep into her womb. "Are you ready?"

"Yes…" She groaned. "Get me, pregnant Darling… I want to feel our baby inside me, and then bring it into the world."

With a groan, he kissed her and then gently pressed his tip inside her, feeling an otherworldly experience grip his member as her walls tightened around him and gripped him, refusing to let go. He continued to sheath himself in her depths, feeling the texture of her walls as they gently undulated around him, trying to milk the life-giving essence that it so desperately wanted from him. Gently he sheathed himself entirely within her, feeling his tip gently bump against the gateway to her womb.

She moaned, and he felt her give him a very tight squeeze, and he felt the sudden urge to deposit all of himself here and now. Desperately, however, he fought and restrained himself struggling to keep his instinctual desires from overtaking him. Zero Two deserved better than that. She deserved every ounce of his effort.

"Darling." She moaned, her voice thick with emotion. "I have you. You're inside me!"

He groaned into her ear, his entire being focused on their connection, urging him to create new life.

They were so absorbed with each other that neither of them noticed their horns growing, reaching out to connect with their mate's pair. Then with an overwhelming sensation, their horns united and fused together, amplifying their connection almost beyond human comprehension. They barely noticed as their skin began changing, Zero Two's skin transforming into its perfect ruby color, and for the first time ever, his skin flushing pure sapphire blue.

"Oh… Oh.. Oh… Darling!" She moaned.

Their minds leaped into each other and began dancing and spinning, intertwining in a dance of passion and love. They danced through each other, feeling the other's desire and love. At that moment, something truly special happened. He felt part of himself detach from the whole, sparkling and shimmering, it nestled itself into Zero Two and became a part of her, and barely a second later, he shuddered as a part of Zero Two intertwined itself with him. Then with an overwhelming sensation that part of her fused with him and made itself a perminate part of him.

"Zero Two…" He moaned.

Their minds danced and explored each other. He could feel their connection between their legs, as they both experience what it felt like from both their own and their mate's perspective. He could feel her walls squeezing him gently, trying to milk his essence out of him, and at the same time, he was aware of what it felt like for Zero Two. Accepting him into her body and cherishing that connection. Opening herself to infinite possibilities and preparing to wield the power of life itself. Their desire and passion was at a fever point, Zero Two's womb pulsating with golden light begging to nurture their love inside it. Her breasts were a mess of tangled pleasure and desire, waiting for the cue to make the life-nurturing milk they were always meant to make.

With these feelings, it would have been impossible to resist. Every fiber of his being was drawn into her, dedicated to supporting her and to give her the opportunity to forge their love into life.

"I will be with you forever!" They both moaned.

"I will be with you forever!"

With a moan of pleasure, he started thrusting, gently easing himself in and out of her, feeling as her soft, sticky wet walls clenched his member gently, coaxing it to release its essence.

He grunted in pleasure, feeling their love and desire circling through him in an infinite loop, of pleasure and ecstasy.

He was united with his mate, the one he would give anything for. He hugged her to him even tighter, holding on to her and preparing to forge new life within her. They were at the point were he could no longer distinguish where he ended, and she began. They were both just one being. No longer were they Hiro and Zero Two. They were one.

A moan of ecstasy escaped him, as he felt their desire building, rushing towards a climax of pure love. Just ahead, a white realm of love and nurturing was within their grasp. A pressure was building within him. All of his love and desire was about to come pouring out of him.

"Zero Two!" He gasped. "I can't stop what's coming!"

"I know!" She gasped. "I.. I love you, Darling!"

The last visages of his control vanished, and his mind was enveloped with pure white love. "I love you!"

"Darling!" She cried, hugging herself to him her fingers digging into his back as the place between her legs erupted with fluid and contracted vice-like around him begging for every last drop of his essence.

It came in a rush, as he thrusted one final time, his essence ejaculating from him and smashing against the gateway to her womb. It flew from him spurting and spurting as immeasurable ropes of his hot essence cascaded towards her womb, her walls desperately milking every last drop from him.

"AAGGHH, AAHHGHHNNH!" He cried, as the last of his massive load spurted from him and flowed directly into her womb, the tightness of her walls making sure that nothing dripped out.

Then with a massive sigh, he collapsed and they both rolled to the side, Zero Two's walls gently milking the last of his essence out of him.

"Darling." She moaned, their heads still connected by their horns.

He smiled wearily, and gave her a little kiss, gently cuddling his consciousness in with her's as they both began to relax from their mating. Gently he eased his member out of her, and it flopped against the bed, its purpose fulfilled.

"Do you think I'll get pregnant?" She whispered, tangling her limbs with his until they were completely intertwined.

He chuckled softly. "You doubt me?"

She smiled, "Just wanna make sure."

He sighed and gently gave her a little squeeze. "I only wish I could watch the moment it happens…"

She smiled. "I guess we'll only know for sure when I get a little baby bump."

He smiled. "I'll be counting the days."

Gently he sent a wave of the most loving nurturing energy he could through their connection, letting it envelop her and encase her in a loving protective cocoon.

"I love you." He whispered.

A surge of pure happiness cascaded into him and filled his entire being.

"I love you too." She whispered.

She let out a small hum of pleasure, and then they both relaxed into each other's arms cuddling as they both slipped into a deep nurturing sleep, filled with love and life.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 16 of the Jian Bird.

Well, guys, it's here. Today is the one year anniversary of The Jian Bird. It's hard to believe that a year ago, I released the first chapter. It's been quite an adventure, and I can't thank you guys enough. To all of you who've been here since the beginning and can't thank you enough, it really means a lot. And to all of you who joined in along the way or are just joining in, thank you, and I hope that you guys will stick with me to the end.

Again thank you, guys, for all the support. You're reviews and comments, and criticisms are really the fuel that keeps me going and allows me to keep on writing even with its hard.

So until next time, stay tuned for Chapter 17 of The Jian Bird: Into the Garden


	17. Chapter 17: Into the Garden

"Attention, external access confirmed." Said a computerized female voice. "Stasis disengaging in ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

Nine Alpha gasped as his lungs came back online. His nerves felt like somebody had just set him fire.

"Cleansing process will be deactivated in five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One."

A feeling of relief washed over him as the cleansing fluids were flushed from his body. After a few moments of bliss, he finally managed to open his eyes. He was lying naked in a medical pod IV tubes still sticking in his body from where his injections had been pumped into his body.

"Nine Alpha are you awake?" Said a female operator.

"Yes." He rasped, his throat dry.

"Good." She nodded. "Papa has ordered me to go over a few things with you, and then you will receive a new injection that has just been produced."

He nodded and started to pull the IV tubes out of his body.

"The war with the Klaxosaurs has deteriorated since you were put in for cleaning. Our forces are being pushed back, and right now, we are only able to delay the inevitable without making any significant progress against our enemy. Your job is to get back out in the field and start striking back and protect plantations until this war is over."

"How are we supposed to fight for that long?" He inquired. "We'll need cleaning eventually."

"A lot has happened since you were last awake Nine Alpha. Papa's techs discovered and implemented a way into for your FRANXX's to harvest energy from Klaxosaur's, making your injections obsolete. Your FRANXX's have been modified, and if you wound a Klaxosaur, you can feed off its life energy to sustain yourself. Your battery pilots have also been upgraded so they will last longer. These two things should keep you in the field for quite a while." The operator checked her notes. "Also, Papa is removing any restrictions on you from this moment forward. You are free to do as you wish, just as long as you go where he commands and kill the Klaxosaurs."

"Understood." He said with a grin. The idea of doing anything he liked was vastly appealing, and since he already enjoyed killing Klaxosaurs, he wasn't losing anything to gain that privilege. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes." The operator said, picking up a big syringe. "Papa has ordered that all the Nines receive this dose before they go back out in the field."

He squirmed happily. Papa's injections always made him feel good. "What does it do?" He asked, excitedly.

"Papa says that it will increase your desire to kill the Klaxosaurs." The operator paused. "He trusted that you are okay with this?"

He beamed. "Anything for Papa."

The operator lowered the syringe and placed the needle in his arm. "When we are done you can retrieve your FRANXX in hanger 1."

He nodded and turned to watch as the operator injected a golden fluid into his arm.

For a moment, he waited as nothing happened, but all of a sudden, he was assaulted by pain. He let out a cry of pain and doubled up trying to cope to the best of his ability. He screamed as what felt like fire twisted at his insides and made him feel like he was being stabbed with a thousand needles. He felt his canines in his mouth lengthening, and he was driven to insanity with a hunger twisting in his belly. An insane urge to feed dominated him, and his mind became filled with thoughts of feeding off someone to dominate their entire being and consume them with his hunger.

In the back of his head, he heard the smallest tiniest voice, moan. "Papa….. What have you done to me?"

Nine Iota swam into his mind. Papa had always said that if he consumed her life essence that he would never hunger again and that she would provide him limitless power if he managed to get her while they weren't piloting. He needed Nine Iota now! He needed all of her, to feed off her and to drive away this sickening hunger. If there was ever a time that she was required, it was now!

"Nine Alpha." The caretaker said unconcerned. "Bare with it you must…."

She never finished her sentence.

He launched at her and tackled her to the ground, she let out a muffled scream, but he ignored it. He tore at her clothes until he exposed her neck, then without a moment's hesitation launched at her and dug his fangs into her. Ravenous, he eagerly devoured her life essence as he tried to satiate his never-ending hunger. As he violated her stealing all of her precious life essence, he felt powerful, and that he was in control of everything. This feeling was addicting. The feeling of dominating all that she was and consuming her to satiate his hunger was incredible, and nothing could match the sheer sense of control he felt.

There was one last feeble breath from the caretaker, as he sucked the last of her life essence out of her, but then all of a sudden her body went limp, and he couldn't feed on her anymore.

Panting he released himself from her and sat back, staring at what he' ed done. Now that he had fed his insane hunger, he was able to think clearly.

"What has Papa done to me?" He whispered.

Never in his life had ever felt like that. Whatever that injection was utterly overwhelmed him and stripped him of his own self-control. Part of him was appalled at the fact that he had been completely unable to control his desire to consume life essence. It wasn't that he was appalled that he had done it, but to have his entire being dominated by it was scary. He liked being the one in control and to think that this injection could strip that from him….

He shuddered and took a deep breath. He needed to get out of here. Quickly he stood up and saw his Nines uniform in the corner of the room. Hurrying over he put it on and gave himself a moment to bask in the feeling of familiarity.

His mind still racing consumed with thoughts of what had just happened to him, he exited the room he was in and made his way towards the hangers. He was almost there when he decided to stop and wait for the rest of the Nines. Coming to a halt, he stood in the hallway that led to the hanger. Absentmindedly he began fixing his uniform, so it wasn't such a mess. As he waited, he let his mind wander. He wondered how the rest of the Nines were taking their injections; hopefully, theirs hadn't been as painful. At the very least he hoped that Nine Delta was fairing alright.

Inwardly he wondered why he was thinking of her in particular. Every time he saw her, his heartbeat a little fast and compared to the rest of the Nines. Another weird thing was that he didn't see her like he did everyone else. Everyone he came across he evaluated, trying to calculate how much energy they could provide for him. But with Nine Delta it was different. He just couldn't bring himself to view her that way.

All of a sudden he heard a somebody muttering to themselves. Looking up, he saw Nine Delta walking towards him, and for some reason, he felt a tightening in his gut, and it felt like somebody was squeezing his heart. Delta's hair was a matted tangled mess and was clawing at herself, her nails digging into the skin of her arms. Her uniform was seconds from away from falling to the floor. The mounds of flesh that sat on her chest were hanging out, and he could see what looked like light pink nipples at their peaks. Both her pants and her underwear were down around her ankles as she hobbled towards him, and he could see the weird slit that girls had between her legs.

"Delta!" He called, feeling an odd tightness in his throat.

The sound of his voice made her look up, and she stared at him with heavily lidded eyes, that failed to hide the insane hunger that dominating her entire being. She had fangs far longer than his, which forced her to keep her mouth slightly ajar.

"Alpha." She moaned, her voice filled with pain and confusion.

Before he had even realized what he was doing, he stroud over to her.

Words that had never left his mouth leaped to his lips. "Are you okay?"

"My skin itches and I have a hunger that feels like it's eating me from the inside." She said feebly.

"I felt the same way a few minutes ago." He said, feeling worried for some reason.

"How did you make it stop?" She asked, desperately.

"I harvested from the caretaker."

A veil of darkness washed over her face. "I already did that." She groaned. "And it still won't go away." She looked down at herself. "I guess I also forgot to put my uniform on properly." She moaned aloud, to the floor.

"I'll assist you." He said without even thinking.

Gently he began to help her back into her uniform. As he touched her skin, he noticed that it was abnormally hot, but that revelation was immediately interrupted, as he felt how soft and silky her skin was. He marveled at it and just let his fingers glide over her. As he did this, he saw a little bit of a blush warm her face, and she looked just a tiny bit like her old self. Hoping that meant that she was enjoying the sensation, he got bolder, and fulfilling a selfish desire traced his finger down the mound of flesh on her chest and touched the nipple on top. She shuddered involuntarily, and grabbed his hand, holding it to her chest. His owns cheeks flushed scarlet as her nipple gently dug into his hand.

"T-this is s-so weird." She said weakly. "It felt good, and I don't know why." He was relieved as he saw one of her rueful smiles cross her face lifting some of the darkness. "In fact, its the only things that feels good, right now."

"Do you want me to touch it again?" He asked before he could stop himself.

There was a long pause. "I.. I think so."

Encouraged he was about to try it again, when her face suddenly contorted in pain and she groaned, and stumbled into him, clawing at herself again.

"Delta!" He shouted alarmed. Gently he lowered her to the floor and gently cradled her head.

She winced and gazed up at him with her pale green eyes. "I… I will always obey Papa's commands…" She groaned. "But… But I hate whatever injections he just gave me… I.. I am loyal… But I am struggling to find a reason for this why I have to go through this… D-Did I displease him? W-Why is he doing this to me?"

He stared back at her completely lost far words. More emotions than he had ever known existed were spiraling within him. He was so confused. His loyalty to Papa was absolute, but for the first time in living memory, he couldn't help but doubt Papa's orders. He desperately tried to drive the thought out of his mind, but as he held Delta in his arms, he couldn't get rid of the thought. As he stared at Delta, he couldn't understand the emotions he felt for her. He was concerned for her in a way that he had never felt before. Something made him genially care about her well being more than anyone else in the squad. She had always been his favorite squad-mate, but all of that favoritisms was now transforming into something that he couldn't understand. And it prevented him from doing the one thing that he had always wanted to do to a girl. For years now, he had wanted to see and touch what made a girl a girl and use them to satisfy his odd desire. The caretakers had forbidden him to go anywhere near those places for reasons they never explained. But as he held a helpless Delta, he couldn't bring himself to touch those areas on her body. She was baring them for him to see, and he could explore any part of her body with little effort, and there wasn't even a caretaker around to stop him. But as he held her, he couldn't do it. He still desired to touch every inch of her skin and touch that place between her legs, but he couldn't make himself do it. For some reason, he only wanted to touch her if she wanted to be touched. Bizarrely he wanted her permission to do what he wanted, and couldn't bring himself to just take it.

"Alpha," Delta said weakly. "W-We need to get to the hangar so that we can pilot our FRANXXs… I know it's selfish but would you, help me to the locker room?

He nodded. "Of course, Delta. We should fix your uniform first, though."

She nodded.

Gently he reached down and grabbed her underwear and pants, gently he dragged them up her legs until they were high enough for her to drag the rest of the way. Then aligning the zipper on her uniform's shirt, gently began to zip it up. When he was finished, he helped stand her up, and she leaned on him, and he walked her to a changing room.

"Do you need anything from me." He asked, concerned.

She shook her head. "No… I'll... I'll manage on my own." Then with a smile that didn't fool him, she added. "I didn't get to be the second-best fighter in the squad by being helpless I'll… I'll be fine on my own."

Before he could counter her justification, she straightened and hobbled into the changing room, shutting the door behind her.

Realizing that he was going to be of no help, he hurried off to another changing room and got suited up in his own pilot gear. Finishing at brake neck spends he hurried into the hanger, and didn't even bother to look at his FRANXX. Instead, he sat by the door that he had come in through waiting for Delta.

It was a long time later before she entered the hangar. She had taken so long that all the other Nines had time to depart from their injections, get to the changing rooms, change, and come wait in the hangar with time to have serval long conversations before she got there. The caretakers weren't happy either and were about to send somebody to go find her when she had appeared.

"What happened to her?" Nine Gamma said in his arrogant voice.

"She looks like shit." Nine Beta commented dryly, unconcerned.

He sat watching as she limped towards them, feeling that weird tightening in his chest again. Why was this happening to her? Why was she in so much pain.

"There you are." The caretaker said, annoyed. "You took far to long Nine Delta. Papa will be forced to punish you the next time you delay his plans like that."

"I'm s-sorry," Delta said weakly. "It won't happen again."

"It better not." Nine Gamma muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Alright, everyone follow me." The caretaker said, turning towards the lift to their FRANXXs.

When everyone had gotten on the lift, they ascend to their FRANXXs, and the sight momentarily took him off guard. The cockpits had been reworked, and they all had fang-like protrusions, which gave them a menacing look. He grimaced. For some reason, he just didn't like this new look. It just had a vibe that felt wrong.

"Your new FRANXXs are equipped with a harvesting system which will allow all of you to feed mid-mission without the need to use injections." The caretaker explained as they walked. "It will no longer be necessary to return to the Garden unless Papa orders it."

The caretaker went on and on, and eventually he lost interest, looking behind him he noticed that Delta was lagging behind limping as she struggled to keep up with the rest of the group. Dropping back, he reached an arm around her and hoisted her up, supporting some of her weight.

"Thanks," Delta said. "I'm sorry I can't keep up."

Strangely he felt a smile spread across his face. "No problem. You just seem to be having a bad day so, I don't mind."

"Alpha!" The caretaker shouted. "What do you think you are doing!"

"Helping her." He explained. "She was lagging behind, so I thought…"

"Alpha, you know the rules about contact between different gendered parasites. This is completely unacceptable behavior. Unhand her at once."

He didn't let her go, and he stood there, for the first time in his life disobeying a direct order. He just simply didn't understand why this was necessary. He could kind of understand why the caretakers didn't want him touching girls, but helping Delta? He was trying to help his teammate. Why wasn't it okay to help her?

"Its okay Alpha," Delta whispered. "I'll be alright on my own."

For some bizarre reason, he wanted to stand his ground, but as Delta distanced herself from him, he decided to let it go. At least for the moment. Still, as the caretaker kept explaining everything about their new FRANXXs, he kept a close eye on Delta.

A while later, the caretaker announced. "You are to travel to Klaxosaur nest 66 and whip out all the targets. You depart immediately."

"Understood." Everyone answer.

"Good. Now board your FRANXX and prepare to launch."

Walking back to his own FRANXX, he watched as the faceplate disengaged, opening the way into the cockpit. He was just about to enter when he stopped and watched as Delta boarded her FRANXX, and the faceplate sealed behind her, leaving him with an ominous feeling. With a sigh, he entered the cockpit to his own FRANXX and only bothered to make a cursory notice of his new battery. All he really bothered noticing before he settled into the pistil position was that she had dark brown hair. His mind still lost in thought he connected with his stamen, feeling a rush of energy and control.

Activating the comms, he called out. "Everyone report in."

He listened as they all reported in, eager to get started. The only person how was failing to respond was.

"You alright Delta?" He called.

"Yes... I'm fine. Awaiting your instructions." Delta said a few moments later.

Before he could answer, he was cut off. "Nines, this is the Garden. You will launch in ten seconds."

Silently he listened as one of the caretakers counted down, watching as the hanger door in front of him opened with a hiss.

"Alright, squad lets move." He called before the caretaker finished.

Then with a rush, he started forward, and they set off towards nest 66.

* * *

Papa sat in his office the bright red glow of Earth's refection illuminating his room with vibrant crimson light. Absentmindedly he stared down at Apus still heavily damaged from that disastrous test fire. Still, he was thankful that it had managed to take out one of the Klaxosaur armadas. Their crusaded had slowed noticeably for a while, which had allowed humanity time to retreat and regroup. Now all he had to do was play a running game while slowly shaving off Klaxosaurs and eventually they' ed be whittled down to the point where they could be challenged on a prober battlefield.

He nodded. Yes, this should work, and if everything went to plan, he could keep the Garden cloning and education program how it was.

"Speaking of the Garden." He muttered. "I think that I'd like to have a chat with my old friend."

Reaching forward, he dialed Werner, sitting back in his chair.

"Hello, Artos," Werner said casually, his hologram flickering into the air.

He smiled under his mask. "Shouldn't that be Papa?" He teased.

"Oh, we're going by those names? Well if that's the case I'm Dr. Franxx."

He shook his head in amusement. "Aah Werner. I've missed our verbal sparing, It's been too long, hasn't it?"

Werner nodded. "It has indeed, all you usually do is ask me questions. I guess it must be pretty boring up there."

"Well, not as boring as you think it is. Those damned Klaxosaurs are keeping me quite busy."

Werner shrugged. "Well if you're ever looking for a something a little more interesting, come down to the surface."

He chuckled. "But then who would plan humanities survival while I'm away?"

"We'll manage," Werner said with a smile.

There was a pause for a long moment before he spoke. "Well, my friend I'm interested to hear what exactly you've been up to. Your reports to headquarters are quite vague, to say the least."

Werner nodded. "You wanna play chest while we talk?"

He smiled. "You ready to get your ass kicked again?"

"Not if I can help it. I swear that this time I am going to win."

A moment later, his computer screen projected a chessboard into the air in front of him, and he stared at the board his pieces all lined up in their neat rows. He smiled at the black pieces he'd been given. They had always served him well and had won him many victories. "White moves first." He said gesturing to Werner.

Werner nodded and moved one of his center pawns forward to take control of the center. He smiled and moved his own pawn forward.

"So Werner. What have you been up to these last few months?" He said casually, as they continued to play.

"Well, I did tell you that I was bringing Code 002 to Plantation 13."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." He said, taking one of Werner's pawns. "I thought we had agreed not to reunite Code 002 and Code 016, but you decided to do it anyway. I didn't question it at the time, because I knew you had to have a good reason but I'd still like an answer."

There was a long paused as Werner stared at the chess broad. After a long pause moved another of his pieces. "Well, as I told you, I had a theory that putting them back together would increase their combat effectiveness." There was another long pause. "Well I'm happy to report that it has been a complete success, and Code 016 is completely compatible with her. I don't know if you have observed this, but they can actually fly together."

He nodded. That was an impressive feat, Code 002 was a powerful parasite, but flying was something that she'd never been able to achieve with any of the other stamens.

"Is there any risk of rebellion?" He asked, calmly.

"No," Werner said with a straight face. "We control their whole lives, and they wouldn't risk doing anything that could result in their separation. So we can pretty much ask them to do anything, and as long as they're together, they'll do it."

He was silent for a long moment as he stared at the chessboard. Making a move, he removed one of Werner's knights. "Very well. I'll allow this to continue. But from now on, Squad 13 needs to be brought further into the war. I can't have such a valuable squad so far out of play." He paused again, thinking a few moves ahead. "You're at the Garden correct?"

"Yes," Werner said. "We needed a resupply, and the Garden was the easiest place to get what we needed."

"Very well." He said, moving his queen to check Werner's king. "I think its time we move to attack The Grand Crevasse. We need to inflict a critical blow to the Klaxosaurs before its too late."

Werner nodded and sat back. "Very well. I'll prep Squad 13 for the attack."

He smiled at his old friend. "It's time to finish what we started Werner. We'll finally be able to accomplish our dream, and create a future for humanity."

Werner stared at him, with an expression that almost seemed like sadness. "I'll always remember the promise we made, Artos." Werner held up a glass of water that had been sitting on his desk. "To childhood, dreams made in dark places."

He smiled and removed his mask, revealing his face. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out a packet of magma energy and emptied it into a specially made cup. Then with a smile, he held up the glass. "To childhood dreams."

Then bring the cup to his lips, he sipped the golden liquid, feeling as the warm substance cascaded down his throat.

Werner just smiled and set down his glass. "I'll talk to you soon old friend, but for now I must return to obligations down here."

He smiled. "Good luck, let's hope everything goes well."

"Yes…. Let's hope it does." And with that the image of Werner disappeared and he was left staring down at Earth, in all of her crimson glory.

* * *

Dr. Franxx stood over Futoshi a while later not entirely sure what to do with him. He had put the boy in stasis which had seemed to have helped stabilize him over the past few days, and the massive growth on his chest had disappeared leaving nothing but a scar. Something he had noticed however was that some of the skin on the boy's chest had the faintest cyan tinge to it which he thought was extremely odd. He hoped it didn't mean anything bad was happening.

"Argh. Haven't I dealt with enough problems today." He muttered.

He needed to keep this boy alive. The squad was still in a fragile state, and he had to be careful with how he dealt with them. Losing this boy would be a significant blow to the little trust he had managed to gain so far. What made it worse was that this boy had been poisoned by a Klaxosaur, which by all rights should have killed him. The fact that he was still alive was a blessing but left him entirely in the dark.

Absentmindedly he fingered his communicator. He wondered if the queen had any answers to this. Making a split-second decision, he locked the door and threw his communicator on the floor.

"Call the queen." He commanded.

The communicator gave a beep, and a few moments later the queen's hologram flicked into the air.

"Yes, Doctor." She said neutrally.

"My lady." He said, inclining his head. "I was wondering if you could answer a question for me."

"And what would that be?" She asked.

"Well." He said gesturing to Futoshi on the medical table. "I have a question about Klaxosaurs."

The queen raised an eyebrow. "That's not a Klaxosaur."

He ignored her comment. The queen seemed to be in a better mood than usual, so he decided to let the comment slide.

"When the squad attacked that Klaxosaur nest I told you about, Futoshi and his partner's FRANXX took a direct hit. Normally I wouldn't bother you with such details, but you see, the Klaxosaur poisoned him."

The queen frowned. "I'm surprised that he's not dead."

"I thought the same, which is why I wanted to ask you and see if you knew anything."

"I can guess." The queen said, gazing at the boy with new interest. "But you'll need to give me some information to work with."

"Let's start with the mother, did the squad report anything about her eggs?"

Quickly he grabbed his plantation communicator and pulled up the squad's logs. "According to Ichigo here, she reported that the eggs looked like they contained small almost fully formed creatures. Apparently, Ikuno theorized that they could be a Klaxosaur's young."

"Smart girl." The queen commented, but gazing at the boy she returned to thinking, muttering out loud. "If her eggs were that far along, her milk would have defiantly been coming in…. But that shouldn't really affect her venom glands all that much." She looked up at him. "How badly was the boy cut?"

"It was pretty deep." He replied, but then a thought crossed his mind. "Although I guess in relation to the size of Klaxosaur's fang I guess it wouldn't be that deep."

The queen studied Futoshi. "This boy enormous size may have actually helped now that I think about it."

"In what way?" He asked, confused.

"Well, I only have one theory, because by all rights he should be long dead. My theory would be that the Klaxosaur's venom was slightly less potent than usual, which in conjunction with the fact that she didn't get a good hit on him, probably meant that not that much venom got inside him. Combine that with the fact that this boy is abnormally fat, his body may have been able to stop the venom before it killed him."

"Interesting…" He muttered. "I guess being fat has perks that I had not foreseen."

The queen gave him a doubtful look but declined to comment. "Is there anything else you need me from me?"

He shook himself. "Yes, actually there is. And it still has to do with this boy."

Quickly he reached forward and pulled back the sheet covering the boy's chest. "The boy has had a growth on his chest for the past several days which disappeared, leaving nothing but this scar and that colored skin."

For just a moment the queen's eyes went wide as saucers, but quickly she neutralized her expression.

"What is it?" He asked quickly.

She shook her head. "I don't know at the moment, I'll get back to you if I think of something. Keep me posted on this boy."

He bowed his head, utterly bewildered. "Of course." Realizing that she was about to leave, he injected quickly. "My queen, I'd like to discuss some things with you. I… I feel that our plan needs some reworking to achieve our goals."

To his surprise, the queen nodded.

"I agree." She said with a sigh. "I've realized things have changed and were going to need to adapt. Plus my plans never factored in Naomi, and her protection and safety have become my primary concerns as of late." A shadow of anger and fear crossed her face. "That magma cannon of Papa's. Can you assure me that it's destroyed for good?"

He bowed his head. "Unfortunately, I can't my lady. I know it's been severally damaged, but I don't know how long it will take to repair."

The queen frowned. "It is imperative that it remains out of commission. That thing could crack open the Grand Crevasse, and endanger Naomi and her children. I can't have that."

In spite of the queen's concerns, he felt a small smile cross his face. It was nice to officially hear that Naomi was okay and that she was doing well. But his smile faded as he returned his attention to the queen. "I'll do what I can, my lady, but I have no control over Papa's project. Rest assured, that I will do whatever it takes to protect both our goals. We both need each other, so if you fall, I fall." He smiled. "And I for sure don't want that to happen."

The queen smiled. "Then let's keep it that way. I propose that we communicate more regularly to discuss updated plans. Call me when you feel it safe to do so, and we'll discuss what we need to do moving forward."

He nodded. "Understood."

She nodded and with a click the communicator shut off, and she disappeared.

He barely had time to breathe before his communicator rang, indicating that Nana was calling him.

Quickly he picked up. "Yes, Nana."

"Sir." She said, "I just overheard that the squad is planning to go into the Garden. Do you want me to stop them?"

"No." He said quickly, thinking fast. "Let's see what they do, return to headquarters, and I'll contact them if I change my mind."

"Understood." She said before hanging up.

He sighed. "Well… What to do now?"

* * *

Ichigo was eating breakfast with her squadmates who with the sole exceptions being Hiro and Zero Two were all happily eating the food that had been provided for them. She listened quietly to the sound of clinking of utensils, and the persistent hum of conversation buzzing around the table.

As she listened, however, an idea was forming in her head. She wanted to go into the garden and have a look around. So much had happened since she had last been here, and with her new perspective, she wanted to have a look around.

"Hey, guy!" She called out, "I was thinking of exploring the garden today. Do you guys want to go?"

Everyone looked up at her, their conversations coming to an abrupt stop.

"Sounds interesting," Mitsuru commented.

"Yeah, I'd be up for that," Miku said curiously, her partner Zorome not too far behind in his agreement.

One by one the rest of the squad nodded their agreement, all eager to embark on the suggestion that she had brought up. It was quickly agreed that after they finished breakfast, they would all journey into the Garden.

"I guess that I should call Hiro and invite him along." She muttered, although now that she thought about it if those two were still in bed together they probably weren't leaving anytime soon.

Whipping out her communicator she dialed Hiro waiting to see if he'd pick up. To her surprise, he did.

"Hey, what's up, Ichigo."

"Hiro." She said, surprised. "You actually answered this time."

"Obviously."

She shook her head. "Anyway. Hiro the rest of the squad and I are going to go explore the Garden. Do you guys want to come or not?"

Hiro's response was instant. "Nah, we're good. You guys go enjoy yourselves."

"That was predictable," Goro muttered.

She smiled amused. "Okay well, you two enjoy yourselves. Breakfast is still sitting on the table if you guys want some."

Hiro started and looked away from the screen. " Is it really that late already?"

"Yes, it is." She replied dryly.

"Okay well see you guys when you get back."

"Yeah, I'm sure we will." She said unconvinced, then smiling, she hung up.

She glanced up at the squad were all wearing expressions of amusement. With a smile, she said. "Well, I guess there's no use waiting around, let's get going."

The squad took its time getting up, but after a few minutes, they all began to make their way out of the dining room, and towards the elevators. To their surprise, however, they saw Hiro and Zero Two descending the stairs, still in their nightclothes.

"Oh look," Miku commented. "They actually managed to leave their room for once."

"Maybe they're going through a rough patch," Mitsuru commented sounding amused.

"Don't say that," Kokoro replied quietly. "That would be terrible."

"No," Hiro replied with a chuckle. "Food is the master of us all eventually."

"Should have known," She said with a smile. "It's usually the only thing that gets you guys out of your room."

Hiro frowned. "That's not entirely true. We spend plenty of time with you guys."

She raised an eyebrow and then shaking her head shrugged.

"So what were you guys planning on doing all day," Goro asked.

"I actually haven't thought about it," Hiro said, scratching the side of his head. He turned to Zero Two. "How about you? Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't know." Zero Two replied. "Hmmm. Oh… Actually, I have an idea."

"That was fast," Ikuno commented.

"Umm... Do we have any art supplies?"

Hiro stiffened, and she glanced up at Goro, identical grins spreading across their faces.

"Yeah, we do," Goro said, sounding like he was fighting a laugh. "They're in a closet over there."

She watched as Zero Two turned rushed over to the closet nestled under the landing of the final staircase.

"Okay, thanks." Zero Two said.

After a few moments, the squad began to move towards the elevators again. Ichigo smiled warmly as she watched Zero Two digging through the boxes in the closet trying to find what she was looking for.

Just at that moment, Goro whispered just loud enough for the squad to hear. "Should I tell her about Hiro's drawings?"

The irresistible urge to laugh overtook her, and she stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing. She nodded vigorously at Goro, and as the rest of the squad attempted to contain their own laughter.

Just at that moment, Zero Two turned to look back at them as they began to enter the elevators still fighting to maintain control. "Thanks." She said, waving to Goro.

"No problem," Goro said smirking. "Oh and Zero Two if you see a box labeled 'Hiro,' its all of his old drawings from when he was a child."

Zero Two's face was enveloped by the happiest smile she had ever seen in her entire life. Hiro face, on the other hand, fell and a look of stunned horror overwhelmed him giving him the most comical look she had ever seen in her entire life.

"Thanks, Goro!" Zero Two cried, diving into the closet. "You're the best!"

"Goro, you traitor!" Hiro shout, dumbfounded. "I thought we had a deal?!"

It was too much for the squad, and they burst out laughing as the elevator doors shut their laughter echoed around in a deafening barrage of noise, that nobody took any notice of it. The look on Hiro's face when Goro had mentioned his pictures was priceless.

"I wish I could get a picture of that…." She gasped, clutching her sides.

"I know, right!" Goro shouted, trying to get control of himself. "Oh, that was so worth it. Hiro can hate me for the rest of his life, but I am so glad I got to see that."

"B-Better yet, Zero Two will be your ally forever." Miku gasped, tears cascading down her face.

The elevator doors opened, and they all spilled out into the lobby, still overcome with uncontrollable laughter.

"Dr. Franxx!" Zorome said suddenly completely surprised.

Instantly the squad's laughter evaporated, and they all looked up startled.

The doctor smiled. "Relax, relax." He said, kindly. "Now.. What would you guys be up to?"

They all stared at each other, not entirely sure what they were supposed to say.

"We were... We were planning on exploring the Garden." Ichigo said after a few moments.

The doctor nodded, intrigued. "Interesting… Well. It has been some years since I've been back here. Would you guys like to accompany me?"

Ichigo was taken aback caught off guard by the suggestion. She almost couldn't believe that the doctor was not only approving their visit but was encouraging them to accompany him.

Immediately she seized the opportunity. "Of course, Sir. I'm sure we' ed all appreciate the opportunity to accompany you." Quickly she glanced around at the squad, and everyone quickly agreed.

"Well then I suggest you all grab some coats and I'll meet you guys at the loading dock." After he had finished, the doctor turned to leave, the squad staring dumbfounded in his wake.

Then with a sudden start the squad partially ran to the changing rooms and pulled out their snow coats, then all chatting excitedly they ran to the loading dock, Dr. Franxx quietly waiting for them at the entrance.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yes." They all said eagerly.

The doctor chuckled softly. "Okay, then let's go."

With a hiss, the massive loading bay doors disengaged and began to crawl open revealing an enormous staging area inside the Garden, packed from floor to ceiling with equipment.

They started forward, and Ichigo stared up in awe at the ceiling far above them and saw two massive numbers painted in red lettering. "02" She barely had time to register those numbers when she saw a FRANXX being transported by a massive ceiling crane zoom across the ceiling and into a passage leading to who knew where.

"You have got to be kidding me," Zorome muttered in awe.

"Somebody pinch my arm," Goro muttered softly, in complete awe.

"Impressive." Mitsuru muttered. "Most impressive."

"H-How is it so big?" Kokoro whispered softly.

"Engineering my friends." Dr. Franxx said. "Engineering." There was a slight pause before he continued. "There are sixteen docks similar to this one all-round the Garden. When a plantation needs to be restocked, with supplies or needs to receive a new FRANXX deployment, they come here."

Just then an engineer ran up to Dr. Franxx wearing a mask similar in style to a caretaker's mask, and wearing a grey uniform with tools strapped to him. Quickly he saluted Dr. Franxx and began speaking his voice formal and stiff. "Sir. We have the supplies you requested and can beginning loading immediately."

"Very good. Hachi will rotate the plantation when you need a new loading dock."

"Sir. Is there a particular dock you'd like the new construction equipment in?"

"Hmmm. Put it in dock 16 for now, and when you rotate around to it, put the spare fuel cells in dock 02."

"Of course sir." There was a pause for a moment before the engineer spoke again. "Sir I must inform you that all of this is highly irregular. I don't understand why Plantation 13 needs all this."

"You don't need to worry about that just get it on the plantation. Also, there is no need to report the equipment's absence. Papa fears that our logs are being watched and he doesn't want the enemy to know. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Sir." The engineer replied immediately. "It'll be done as you command."

Ichigo stood there completely stunned not having the faintest idea what was going on. She glanced around at the rest of the squad who were all wearing expressions of utter confusion. Nobody had the faintest idea of what was going on.

"Very good." Dr. Franxx said in a tone indicating that the conversation was at an end. "Come along Squad 13."

Everyone gave a start of surprise and quickly ran off after the doctor.

"Sir, what was that all about?" Ikuno questioned, as they made their way to the other side of the hanger.

The doctor was silent for a long moment almost as if considering something, but then suddenly he shook his head. "This is not the time or the place for such a question Ikuno." The doctor said quietly. "I just need all of you to trust that I have your best interests in mind."

The squad glanced at each other nervously not entirely sure what to do with that piece of information.

As they kept walking the sound of their feet barely audible over the sounds of machinery Ichigo slowly dropped back, till she was right beside Ikuno. "This is rather odd." She muttered casually.

"You think so?" Ikuno said, smiling.

She chuckled but said softly. "Things just keep getting more and more suspicious."

"Yeah, no kidding. I wouldn't be surprised if something….."

"Would you guys like to see the orphanage again?" Dr. Franxx asked suddenly.

The squad caught by surprise stumbled over their responses, but it was understood away.

Dr. Franxx smiled and led them over to an elevator, and they followed him in, a few moments later, the door opened, and they spilled onto the main lobby of the laboratory.

"I remember this place…" Mitsuru muttered lost in thought. Ichigo watched Mitsuru scowl slightly as he looked back at the elevator they had just left.

Dr. Franxx led them out of the lab, and they began walking along the snowy path that led to the orphanage. As they walked, she looked up at a giant tree beside the lab marveling at how staggeringly tall it was. As she continued to stare, she saw that about halfway up there was a randomly broken branch.

"Has the weather gotten more extreme since we left?" Ichigo asked. "I don't remember any of the weather we had being strong enough to break anything."

Dr. Franxx looked up at the tree, and spotting what she was talking about, smiled warmly. "No. The weather never gets that bad in here. That's… That's from something else."

As they approached the orphanage, she felt a tightening in her stomach, that she couldn't explain.

"It'll be nice to see the children again," Kokoro said warmly. "I remember having so much fun here."

"Agreed," Zorome replied enthusiastically.

The doors to the orphanage opened, and they all walked inside. Immediately something felt off, but she couldn't pin it down. The atmosphere just felt dead, but she couldn't explain why.

They walked deeper into the orphanage, she listed to the squad chatting happily, all looking forward to seeing how all the children were doing. She, however, did not join in and was too lost in thought to join in.

"What are you thinking?" Ikuno muttered.

She paused for a moment before answering. "I don't know if it's just me, but something seems off."

Ikuno nodded. "I've been thinking the same thing. Have you noticed that there's no laughter? We've walked these halls before, and you could always hear everyone playing. But listen… All you can hear is us."

"What the heck!" Zorome shouted from up ahead.

Everybody ran forward and stared into one of the classrooms where some of the children were taught. But instead of being instructed by a caretaker, all the children were staring at screens inlayed in the desks with devices hooked to their heads with wires extending to the ceiling. As she watched in horror, not one of them raised their hand, or made any sort of human-like motion. They all just stare at the screens their eyes darting back and forth as they took in all the information that was being fed to them.

"I'm so glad I got you guys out of here before they started doing this." Dr. Franxx muttered.

"What is this?" Mitsuru question.

The doctor sighed. "This is Papa's training program. APE needs more soldiers to fight off the Klaxosaurs, and this method is faster than the traditional method. The devices on their ends allow them to focus solely on the information being provided to them." He sniffed in amusement. "Of course, it has the added benefit of making sure everyone will follow Papa's orders, without doubting it."

"Can we put a stop…" Goro started before Dr. Franxx but him off.

"Don't finish that sentence Goro. This is not the time or place. We're in the middle of the orphanage, the centerpiece of Papa's operations. Until we get somewhere more secure observe. Caretakers are everywhere." He stared at all of them. "I don't need to spell out the rest do I?"

They all nodded.

"Good. Now let's see what else Papa has done since I was last here."

* * *

Dr. Franxx led them through the orphanage, and they observed the new training that the children were undergoing. She could feel her revolution growing as they observed the training regimen that these children were undergoing. Gone was the playing and fun. Replaced by strict piloting drills and practice combats. The dining hall that had once buzzed with life and laughter was silent, as the children consumer nutrient bars. But what was the most sickening thing by far was the injections all the children seemed to be getting. Whole rooms were just filled with children standing all in a line, caretakers injecting them with syringes filled with a faint golden liquid.

"Where are we going now," Miku asked, as they exited an elevator and began walking down a long corridor back in the Garden.

"I've come to check on something." Dr. Franxx said, stopping in front of a door.

They all stopped, and everyone held their breath a great sense of unease washing over them.

"It's been too long since I was last in here." Dr. Franxx muttered sadness, and what might have been fear in his voice. "I can only pray that they've discontinued this practice."

Ichigo stared at the door to the cloning chamber and felt a sickening feeling wash through her. All of a sudden she really didn't want to know what was behind that door.

"Sir," Goro asked. "What did you mean by all that?"

"We're about to find out." The doctor muttered bitterly; then in a commanding voice, he said. "Open!"

With a hiss, the doors slide open, and they walked inside, and Ichigo saw rows of hundreds upon hundreds of tubes filled with….

"Are those people!?" Ikuno gasped in horror.

"What?…" Kokoro gasped in a barely audible squeak.

She looked over in horror at Dr. Franxx and saw tears cascading down his cheek from his one normal eye. "No… This is a thousand time worse than I could have ever imagined. What else have you done behind my back?"

Determined Ichigo stroud forward and stared in horror at the people in the tube around her. She felt like she was going to be sick as she noticed that all the people around her were stripped naked and had IV tubes stabbed into the top of their heads, in the middle of their foreheads, their throats, into their hearts, were the stomach was located, another who inserted a few inches below the belly button, and finally one inserted between their legs. Her eyes came to rest on a little girl floating with IV tubes sticking out of her, and sickeningly one was shoved into her…

Zorome coughed and a second later vomited onto the floor, everything he had eaten falling out onto the floor.

"Sir, what is this?" Goro said, his voice barely under control.

The doctor mumbled something incoherent clutching his walking stick for support.

"You better tell us now." She growled disgusted.

The doctor gulped and after a long moment, began to speak. "A long time ago…. S-Science made a discovery that changed everything. They discovered that the human body has an energy system that allows it to tap into an infinite potential in a way never before thought possible. Many people called it humanities special power, the very essence of what makes us human. It was the breakthrough of the century, but all the people at the time rightly considered harvesting this energy for commercial gain to be unethical. So everyone voted to bane the practice." The doctor gave a long sigh. "To make a long story short the corrupt governments of the world never actually stopped the practice and experimented on people and harvested them hiding it all from the masses. But eventually, however, everybody found out, and they all started to protest and began pressuring governments to stop. Things eventually got so bad, that wars broke out all over the world, leading to what history calls the seven years of fire from all of the divesting weapons that were used."

Ichigo shook her head in bewilderment, trying to absorb all of this information. "But… But what does that have to do with all of this?"

Dr. Franxx gazed around sickened. "This is the process that is used to tap into and harvest a person's life essence. These children are all the failed parasites and children taken from the Garden. They're all brought here to be harvested for their life-force, which is an essential component of what Papa calls his obedience formula."

Ichigo felt like she was going to be sick, and it was all she could do to keep herself from being sick. She was so revolted that her skin felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles. Desperately she tried to tell herself that this was all a dream. Just some sick dream that she could wake up from. Surely humanity wasn't so far gone that they were using people as a resource? Not only that but who's sick twisted mind could stomach this? There were children in here! How could anybody live with themselves after putting even one person in here, let alone an innocent child, who didn't know any better? And the thought of what these people were being used for was almost too much to bear.

"Sir what is the obedience formula?" Miku asked shakily, gently rubbing her partner's back.

The doctor gave a long sigh. "I can't explain the whole child-raising process. I just can't will myself to relive what I've been a part of. All I'll tell you is that the obedience formula makes it easier to brainwash people, especially children. Its purpose is so that by the time you've reached the age when you can pilot a FRANXX, you will obey Papa's every command."

"D-Did Papa ever give use that stuff?" Zorome groaned.

"No…" The doctor said. "But your squad is the only squad that wasn't given the obedience formula."

"Why?" Ichigo questioned immediately.

"Because you guys are my special test squad." The doctor said slowly. "APE has been creating people to fight for them for so long that most of the children you see now are perfectly breed units designed to obey. I can't get into all the details, but I decided to create you guys on a whim… I wanted to see what a squad of normal humans would be like, and compare you to Papa's breed units." The doctor smiled. "That turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I've ever made. Because now everything rides on this squad."

"What rides on us?" Goro asked immediately.

The doctor shook his head. "Not in the Garden. I can't risk us being overheard. I've worked so hard for so many years, and I can't allow us to fail now."

"And what makes you think we'll join you?" Mitsuru asked suspiciously.

"I can only hope that you guys will." The doctor said with a small smile. "I've done so many horrible things in my lifetime… I… I helped create this mess… But before I die, I need to do something right. I need to fix what I helped destroy." The doctor stared each of them in the eyes "I can only hope that you guys will help me rebuild this destroyed world."

She stood lost for words her heart pounding in her chest. The doctor's request only led to one place, and the thought both terrified and invigorated her. The doctor had just suggested betraying Papa and trying to make a world where they were free to do whatever they wanted.

"Is it really possible to do that?" Goro asked. "Can we really be free?"

"I can only hope." The doctor said with a small smile. "Because I don't know what I'll do if we don't."

"So what do we do now?" Ichigo interjected. "Once Papa finds out what we're doing we're screwed."

The doctor perked up and stared at her. "Does that mean you're joining me?"

Ichigo looked at the rest of the squad and got small nods of approval from all of them.

"Yes." She stated firmly. "We' ed all rather fight for a world where we can be free, then to be used by Papa to fight against the Klaxosaurs. If we can truly create a world where we can be free, then I speak for everybody when I say that, that's a world worth fighting for."

She swallowed hard feeling the excitement building in her throat, the gravity of what she had just said, casting an eerie sense of foreboding over the entire room.

The doctor smiled, his face flushed with relief. "Thank you. I promise I won't fail you guys."

There was silence for a long moment, and all anybody heard was a gentle hum of machinery.

"So what do we do now?" Goro asked.

The doctor sighed. "It's probably best that we get back to the plantation. We're in the heart of Papa's territory and acting now would just result in us being discovered."

"Wait a minute." Kokoro piped up. "What are we going to do with all the people in here we can't just allow Papa to keep using them like this."

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The moment we try deactivating these machines, Papa will be notified, and we'll be caught."

"Are you saying we have to leave these people and let them be used by Papa?" Zorome said indignantly.

"I'm sorry. But there's nothing we can do for them."

"But!" Zorome countered.

"Drop it Zorome," Goro said bitterly. "Dr. Franxx is right. We can't act here."

Ichigo swallowed hard. She knew Goro was right, but that didn't mean she had to like it. The very thought of leaving these people to be used by Papa made her feel dirty. It just felt so wrong.

"Sir," Ikuno interjected. "What are we going to do after this is all over? If we somehow manage to survive all this, how are we going to restart humanity if we're the only real humans left? There's just not enough of us."

"Well…" The Doctor said, considering. "Have any of you come across the information in the library?"

To Ichigo's surprise, everyone nodded. She thought that only she and Ikuno knew about the baby-making process, but apparently, everyone else had found out the information as well. Mentally she scolded herself for being arrogant enough to think that she and Ikuno where the only ones with enough initiative to realize that there was hidden knowledge in the library.

"Well unless you guys know of a different way to create real humans, that's what you'll have to do." The doctor smiled and chuckled softly. "I hope you and your partners share that level of trust with each other; otherwise, it might be a little awkward."

Unconsciously she and Goro glanced at each other before she spoke again.

"So, Sir. What do we do first?" She asked, steeling herself as she took the first steps down a path that would change her life forever.

The doctor smiled. "Let's get back to Plantation 13. I can't stand staying here another moment longer."

And with that, they all set off back towards Plantation 13, each step marking a new step towards freedom.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading chapter 17 of The Jian Bird.

Sorry for the delay. I just had a hectic Summer term and before I knew it 2 months had already placed. I'll endeavor to make more frequent updates in the future. Thank you for your continued support

Stay tuned for chapter 18 of The Jian Bird: Bonded.


	18. Chapter 18: Bonded

Plantation 13 separated from the Garden barely an hour after midnight and crawled away, making its bid for freedom under cover of darkness. Everything was still and unsuspecting, but in Plantation 13's command center, everything was abuzz with activity.

"Nana, is everything ready?"

"Yes, sir. Hachi is in position. He has target one in his crosshairs."

"You're sure all communications are jammed?"

"Yes, Sir. All communications are disabled."

He turned to the command console, and an image of a security guard on patrol appeared. He took a deep breath. "Hachi, you are clear to fire."

"Roger."

He heard Hachi let out a long breath, and he stared his eyes glued to the screen, waiting. A moment later, there was a small spurt of blood, and the security guard crumpled to the floor. He stared at the guard and felt an eerie silence hang over them.

"I can't believe we just did that," Nana whispered.

He took a deep breath. "Nineteen more to go." He stated firmly doing his best to strengthen his resolve. "Let's get this done."

"Understood," Hachi whispered. "Proceeding to second target."

He sat his eyes glued to the screen, as one by one, the security guards were eliminated, Papa's grip on the plantation weakening each time one died.

"All targets eliminated," Nana confirmed quietly. "I'll… I'll go help with the cleanup process."

"Thank you. I'll finish up here." He said.

"Understood."

Once she had left, he accessed the Plantation's core programming and worked his way to the most critical settings installed directly by APE. The moment he tried to change on of them.

"Override code for Plantation 13 required." Said a computerized female voice.

He took a deep breath. "Override code 002016."

"Override code accepted. Welcome, Dr. Franxx."

Immediately he went to work disabling settings and protocols that would hinder their progress moving forward. Now he only had one more thing to change.

"Access location tracker." He said after a moment and watched as the screen followed his instructions. Pulling a memory stick out of his pocket, he plugged it into the computer. "Disable live feed and upload new program." He commanded.

"Warning, you are attempting to change core APE protocols. Are you sure you want to proceed?"

"I'm sure. Disable feed and run new program."

He watched with bated breath as his program uploaded into the system. The program that would falsify their location.

"Upload complete."

He smiled, quickly he saved all the changes he had made. Exiting out, he changed the display to navigation. "Set course for the great seed vault. It's time to get this show on the road."

* * *

Naomi awoke with a yawn, her mind still drowsy from sleep, She'd just had a fantastic nights sleep, and not once had she been awakened by her babies. As she sat there, she realized something was off. An uneasy feeling washed over her. Where were her babies? Were her children okay?

Hurriedly she sat up and quickly stared down at her belly. She felt a cold hand grab her heart, and she could feel fear gripping every fiber of her being.

Her babies weren't moving, in fact, they were buried so far into the walls of her womb that they looked stuck.

"Hey, are you guys okay!" She cried fear choking her voice.

What had happened to her babies!? What was wrong with her babies!? What if they were dead!?

"Please!" She pleaded. "Please move! Do something! Anything! Just please don't be…." She broke down in tears. What had happened to them!? Why! What had happened to her children!?

All of a sudden, a powerful wave of energy washed over her, and she felt calming bliss wash over her. Just then, she felt warm, loving energy nestled inside her, and with a massive sense of relief, she realized that her children were still alive and well. But just to be sure she counted the warms spheres of love inside her making sure that they were all okay. When she got to the twelfth one, she let out a massive sigh.

Tear's of relief was cascading down her face. Her babies were okay.

"Jeez…" She sobbed, a comforting hand on her belly. "You guys scared the crap out of me." Then with a smile, she looked down at all her precious babies. "I was so afraid that I'd lost you guys for a moment."

As she stared relieved at her children, studying them to see what condition they were in. And after a few moments, she frowned. All of her babies were fused half-buried in the walls of her womb. But as she stared harder, she saw that they were all gently pulsating almost as if something was beating inside them. She sighed. Hopefully, Maya would know what had happened to them. With a yawn, she worked her way off the bed and walked over to the desk picking the sleep out of her eyes as she looked out over the destroyed Klaxosaur city.

She sighed heavily and sat back in her chair. So much had happened these last few months. Inwardly she hoped that everything would turn out okay. As she sat there, her thoughts drifted to the poor little girl that Logos guarded. She felt a tightness in her throat, her entire being desperately wanted to find some way to help the little girl, but she had no idea what she could do. She spent as much time as she possibly could interacting with the child and giving her affection, but there were limits that her glass prison imposed. Worse still, if Logos was right, then the child was dying, and there was nothing that she could do about it. The thought made her feel useless. She was brought here to care for and nurture children. Beyond that, she was practically useless. So why couldn't she help a child in need? She closed her eyes in frustration. Why was it so impossible to find a way to help her?

As her thoughts swirled around the little girl, she felt a tingling sensation run through her breasts, and crest at her nipple, then a moment later she felt a drip of something wet and warm running down her belly. At first, she thought it was just her imagination, but when she felt more drips running down her stomach, she opened her eyes and looked down.

"What the!?" She yelped.

She stared utterly bewildered at the sight of a strange creamy golden substance leaking from the tips of her nipples and dripping onto her belly.

"What in the world?" She said, scooping up a droplet that was rolling down her skin, onto her finger.

Bringing it up to her eyes, she examined it, puzzled. This was the first time she had seen anything like this in her entire life, and the fact that it was coming from her own breasts was weird. For some reason, however, as she continued to stare at it, she felt the unquenchable desire to taste it. Unable to resist the temptation, she popped it into her mouth and tasted it.

"Creamy…" She muttered. "Odd… It kind of reminds me of milk after eating a bowl of cereal."

She looked down at her breasts again, which were still dripping with little droplets. Then in utter confusion, she ran her hands through her hair. Why was this so damn complicated? Why were her breasts leaking this weird substance again? What purpose did it serve?

She leaned forward onto the desk, her head in her hands. "I need a pregnancy owner's manual." She groaned, utterly confused. "Something that'll tell me what the heck is going on."

Just then, she saw the glass surface of the desk light up. To her astonishment, information started to appear on the screen, all having something to do with pregnancy and the babies that resulted from it.

"Jeez." She breathed, "I guess all I need to do is ask, and I'll get something here." Overwhelmed, she stared at the sidebar that had categories upon categories of information that she could tap on.

After a few minutes of searching, her eyes came to rest on a category titled "Baby names."

She chuckled and looked down at her children. "You know, I completely forgot that you'll all need names." She stared hopelessly up at the list. "But there are so many…" She whispered. "How could I possibly decide?"

Absentmindedly she scanned the list noting serval that she liked. When she came to the "N" section, she stopped as a name caught her eye.

"Numa." She muttered.

Just then, she heard a beeping from her door, and a moment later, she heard Maya's voice. "Naomi. Do you mind if I come in?"

Abruptly she sat up and spun her chair around. "Of course, come in."

The door slid open, and Maya walked in.

"Good morning." Maya greeted.

"Good morning. What can I do for you?"

Maya smiled. "Nothing actually. I just came to see how you were doing."

Maya pulled over a spare chair and sat down. They sat in compatible silence for a moment, not sure who was going to speak first.

"Do you just get up?" Maya inquired, getting the conversation going.

"Only just a few minutes ago." She said with a small yawn. "I actually managed to get a full night's sleep."

Maya gave a small chuckle. "That must've been nice. Have they finally settled in?"

"Yes." She said with a sudden start, remembering the incident that she had awoken to. Actually, I have a question about that." She gestured to her belly. "Um... Why have they buried themselves in there? Why aren't they swimming around like usual?"

Maya leaned forward and studied her for a moment and then nodded in satisfaction. Don't worry it's perfectly normal, I'll just simplify the explanation and say that this is the next step for them. They're finally ready to start growing into babies." Maya smiled playfully. "Which will take another two years or so."

She let out a massive sigh of relief. "Thank you for clearing that up. It gave me quite a fright this morning when I woke up and saw them like that."

"I bet," Maya said with a smile. "Although it's my fault for not catching you up to speed earlier, I'll endeavor to fill you in with more details, and answer any question you might have."

"Actually, if you don't mind, I do have a question for you already. It happened to me a few minutes ago, and I was wondering if you could answer it for me."

Gently she gave her breast a small squeeze, and a stream of that liquid lightly sprayed her hand. "Um… What is this stuff?"

Maya's eyes widened in surprise, and she studied the liquid in her hand. "Curious… Your breastmilk is coming in."

"My what now?" She asked, confused, not entirely sure she had heard Maya correctly.

"Breastmilk," Maya said. "Mothers feed their baby's with it when they're born. Although it's unusual for you to be producing it this early in your pregnancy."

"Is that bad?" She asked, concerned.

"No. It doesn't usually start coming in this early, although it's not unheard of." Maya said reassuringly. "A lot is going on in your body right now, and sometimes weird things happen. There's no need to concern yourself with it."

They sat in companionable silence, and Naomi found herself studying Maya, and almost immediately, something curious caught her eye."

"Maya," Naomi said, a little confused. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember ever seeing your nipples before."

Maya looked down at herself. "Oh.. Well, I guess you're right. I usually keep them hidden."

She stared at Maya, utterly confused. "H-How… Wha… You can hide your genitals?"

Maya nodded. "If I want to, yes." Gently Maya rubbed her hand against her right nipple, and when she removed her hand, her right nipple was gone.

She stared in utter shock. "Wha… How?"

Maya chuckled softly. "It's really nothing special. My nipple didn't actually disappear, it's just an illusion."

She looked at her, utterly amazed. "Still, it's a pretty cool ability." Then a thought crossed into her mind. "If I may be so bold. Um… Why bother with it?"

Maya smiled. "It's more of a phycological thing for me. The real reason I do it is for this."

Slowly Maya rubbed her hands over her belly, and she stared in utter shock at what she was seeing. Maya's belly had at first been simply the same color as the rest of her skin, but as the illusion dissipated, she saw that Maya's belly was huge and swollen with the golden energy that was shimmering and lighting up the entire room.

She watched stunned as the golden energy swirled and swam around almost as if it was alive. But whatever it was was so bright that it was almost blinding. How could have she have not seen anything this bright?

"How do you manage to hide all of that?" She asked, stunned. "H-Has, it really been there the whole time?"

Maya chuckled softly. "It has."

"So, how did you?"

"It's a psychological trick," Maya explained with a smile. "My belly has been there the entire time, but because I'm the Queen of the Klaxosaurs, I have the power to subtly hide my appearance." Maya smiled. "Although it's not foolproof. If I wear something like armor or clothing, it'll bulge out, which would obviously show that I'm pregnant. Hiding my belly then is much more difficult because I would have to focus on mentally changing your perception of reality, which is very difficult." She smiled and chuckled "Hence why I just walk around naked and conceal the parts of myself that I don't want you to see. It's so much easier."

"So you're pregnant too?" She asked.

"Yes, I am. In fact, I've been pregnant for over a hundred years."

Her eyes went wide. "Umm... What are you pregnant with?"

"Pure life energy. Earth is a living being, but ever since humans started drilling for magma, she's slowly been dying. If everything goes to plan, this energy that I've been carrying and nurturing will restore the world."

"How does that work?"

"Jeez. Well, I'll give you the quick version because that's honestly the only version I understand well enough to explain. Um... okay, so basically the Earth is a living organism right. Papa and his organization have been slowly killing off the Earth, by harvesting magma energy which is killing the planet's... let's call it soul... Logos and I hope that this life force that I'm carrying will revive the Earth."

She nodded eyes wide. "You know I'm just going to trust that you know what you're doing because I didn't understand a word of that."

"Probably for the best," Maya said with a smile.

"So umm… How far along are you?" She asked.

"Well, if this were a normal pregnancy, I'd say I'm due any day now. But I really have no idea. As far as I know, I might still be years away. I've thought I'm soon for the past five years or so it's hard to measure."

"I don't get it."

Maya smiled. "There are parts I don't understand either. It was Logos's idea for the most part. He was able to turn a bad situation into this."

"What bad situation?" She asked innocently.

Maya sighed. "For the moment, that is something that's between Logos and I."

"Sorry." She mumbled, hanging her head.

"That's quite alright. I know you have good intentions at heart. It's just something very personal to me that I'd rather not get into."

Changing the subject, Naomi said. "So, what do two pregnant women do on a day like this?"

"Well, my day is going to consist of staring at maps and redeploying the Klaxosaurs," Maya said with a smile. "But I could convince Logos to give you a tour around the castle."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

Maya waved her hands over her belly, and it disappeared, and then smiling stood up. "Come, let's go fetch him. It'll do him some good to get off his lazy ass and move around."

"I thought that he was there guarding the children?" She asked, following Maya out.

"Guarding against what?" Maya said with a chuckle. "He just likes to say that so that he can spend his entire day napping."

"So how is the war going," Naomi asked curiously as they boarded the elevators.

"Slow." Maya sighed. "That imbecile that you humans call Papa is being a pain in the ass. He keeps winning a lot of small victories before we can retaliate. It's nothing serious, but it's still a pain."

"Are umm... Are my squadmates okay?"

"As far as I'm aware." Maya consoled. "They're doing fine… You wanna know what? Hmm... Actually, never mind, I'll mention it later."

"Mention what?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, come on, tell me." She whined.

"Nope."

Just then, the doors to the elevator opened, and Maya strolled out as she followed behind, pestering her for details.

They strolled into the throne room and immediately realized that Logos was missing. Hurriedly they ascended the stairs, Naomi's stomach curling into a tight knot.

The door that Logos guarded was wide open.

"No..." Maya whispered in horror.

"What?"

Maya didn't reply, and they kept running, a moment later they were through the door, and they saw Logos at the far end. Ice cold terror stabbed at her heart as she realized that Logos was staring at the little girl in the cloning tube.

"Logos. What's going on!?" She asked in alarm as they skidded to a halt.

Logos stared at her. "She's gotten worse."

Naomi's head yanked around and stared at the little girl. "What's wrong with her?"

"Her heart rate." Logos muttered. "It's very weak. I fear what could happen if it drops any lower."

She stared at the child, her horror freezing her in place. The slow beeping of the heart monitor echoing ominously through the whole room.

"Why didn't you contact me sooner?" Maya choked, staring at Logos.

"There wasn't time." Logos said, quietly. "You were already here by the time I noticed."

Abruptly she started forward and pressed herself against the glass tube. "Hey!" She called desperately.

The little girl's eyes flickered open and stared at her for a moment. Suddenly beeping from the heart rate monitor became a little faster, and as the girl realized she was there, her heart rate began to accelerate.

Naomi's face broke into a relieved smile. "Hi." She whispered sweetly. "You scared us little one."

The little girl reached out one of her boney arms, and Naomi heard the girl's faint voice in her head.

"Naomi…." The voice whimpered.

She stared up at the child, and their eyes locked, and almost instinctively, she understood what the child wanted.

"Can I get in with her?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the girl.

"Why?" Maya asked protectively.

She stared at the girl. "Because. She's been deprived of a connection with someone for her entire life. She's... She's in pain and is scared. And… I don't know why, but I can hear her calling to me."

Maya looked over at Logos, and he gave an encouraging nod.

"I'll find you a breathing mask…" Maya stuttered, making her way over to a side room.

She glanced over at Logos, who stared at her and almost seemed to be holding his breath.

A few minutes later, Maya returned, holding a mask. "I hope this fits," Maya said with a sigh. "Most of them are too old to function, so this is one of the only ones that still works. Put this around your waist. It'll keep you from floating to the top."

She took the weighted belt and scraped it on and then placed the breather over her nose and mouth. The machine lit up and sealed to her face as she finished fitting it. "You said this works underwater, right?"

"Yes. It'll recycle the air you breathe…. Are you ready."

She nodded

"Unseal tube 12," Maya shouted. "Lengthen umbilical cord to keep subject connected."

She watched as the machinery at the top of the tube disengaged and lifted away with a loud hiss.

When Maya judge that there was enough space for Naomi to get in, she called a halt to the machine's progress.

"I'll help you up," Maya said, wrapping her tentacle around Naomi.

"Got it."

A moment later, she was lifted into the air, and Maya slowly guided her in. She flinched slightly as her toes touched the warm surface of the cloning fluid. She looked down and saw the little girl staring at her from beneath the fluid's surface. As she was lowered in, she guided herself around to keep from crushing the little girl. A few moments later, she was completely submerged, and her feet gently touched the bottom of the tube, and Maya removed her tentacle.

Satisfied that she wasn't going anywhere, she looked up straight into the little girls glowing eyes. They stared transfixed until the little girl reached out a trembling hand. The little girl's tiny fingers gently touched the side of her face, making contact with another person for the first time. The girl shuttered and tried to bring herself closer to the person in front of her.

She smiled, and gently reached forward and hugged the girl to her chest, cuddling her in a warm embrace.

"Hello," She whispered, giving the girl a tender squeeze. "I'm here."

She felt the girl cuddle against her, bony little hands touching every part of her they could find. Gently she let her hands run over the child's body, feeling the child's stiff joints and sagging skin. Silently she counted each one of the girl's tiny ribs.

Naomi desperately wanted to cry. The girl was in so much pain, and there was nothing she could do about it. And the fact that her death seemed inevitable made it a hundred times worse. No! She refused! She would not let this child die! But how? How could she save this poor child from the fate that she seemed doomed to meet?

"Na..omi.." The girl whispered in her head.

She nuzzled her cheek against the little girl. "I'm here."

The girl relaxed against her, and she held the child gently, supporting her and bonding with her. For a few minutes, she just held her, feeling a bridge forming between her and the child. An energetic cord that connected her to the child as she nurtured her with as much love and affection as she could. It didn't take her long to realize that she needed this child. Something inside her needed to protect and nurture this little girl. To restore and care for her, as only a mother could. To watch as all the children nestled in her womb ran after their big sister, laughing and giggling as she watched with a smile on her face.

"Do you want me to be your mother?" She asked softly, feeling a warm pulsating feeling emanating for her forehead.

She felt the girl nod and cuddle closer to her. A smile broke out on her face and nuzzled her cheek against her daughter.

"I won't let you die." She whispered. "I promise."

She held the little girl close, trying to imbue her with as much light and warmth as she could. She let it radiate out from her, imbuing the child with love and affection, imagining that she could heal the girl's damaged body.

"Do you want me to give you a name?" She asked sweetly, giving her little girl an affectionate squeeze.

She felt the girl nod, her assent. Holding her child, she sat there and thought until a name popped into her head.

"Numa." She said, smiling.

Gently she repositioned Numa so that she was cradled in her arms and gazed down at Numa, her eyes sparkling with love and affection.

The newly dubbed Numa smiled at her and cuddled against her chest, basking in the motherly warmth she provided. As she held Numa close, she felt her breasts aching with a desire that she couldn't explain. Something instinctual inside her was urging her to do something that she couldn't explain. A moment later, Numa's lips gently brushed against her nipple, and she felt a shiver run down her back. They were so overly sensitive today. She looked down reflectively and saw Numa unconsciously licking her lips. As she watched Numa, she remembered what Maya had told her about her breasts. Suddenly an idea came to her, and she knew what to do. She never really even consciously processed that thought it was just something primal within her that knew what to do. Gently she guided Numa's mouth to her nipple and held her breath as Numa latched on to her breast. Then barely a second later.

"Oh!" She gasped surprised, as she felt a warm tickling sensation in her nipple. Suddenly she felt a sense of gratification wash over her as she felt Numa's gentle sucking, and she realized with a thrill of joy that she was breastfeeding. She stared down, holding her precious little girl in her arms. She couldn't help the overwhelming smile of pure joy that crossed her face as she nurtured her precious little girl. She let all her love and affection flow into Numa as her life nurturing milk healed and restored her little girl, you had for so long had been drifting closer and closers to death's veil.

It seemed like no time at all, but a while later, her breast significantly lighter than it had been Numa gently released her nipple and stared up at her eyes full of gratitude. She smiled, and they reveled in a bond that they shared. She gave Numa a gentle hug and watched Numa gaze up sleepy at her. Not taking her eyes off her little girl, she watched Numa slowly drift off to sleep. For a long while, she just held her, but as her own hunger began to increase, she remembered that she had other children to look after.

Gently she separated herself from Numa and made sure everything was okay. Holding her breath, she reached up, she removed the breath mask from her face. Leaning forward, she gently kissed Numa on the forehead, and with one final look ascended to the surface. As her head broke the surface, she found Maya's tentacle waiting for her, and a moment later, it scooped her up and lifted her out of the tube. As Maya lowered her back to the ground, she watched as the cloning tube sealed itself again. When she was satisfied that everything was as it should be, she turned to face Maya and Logos as they stared at her. Tears were streaming down Maya's face and Logos seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Naomi." Maya choked. "Thank you…."

She smiled. "She'll be okay now."

"I'm relieved that she could be held and comforted, at least once. Before…" Logos said quietly.

Naomi turned and look at Numa sleeping in her tube. "She's not going to die… I made a promise to her, and as her mother, I intend to keep it."

She heard gasps of surprise from behind her and new she had caught them off guard.

"You'd do that for her?" Maya whispered hoarsely.

"Yes." She stated, a warm smile spreading across her face. "I vowed that I'd look after her."

"Did you give her a name?" Logos asked quietly after a moment of silence.

"Numa." She pronounced.

He smiled. "That's an excellent name."

She heard Maya give a loud, emotional sniff, and saw her wiping away tears. Logos slithered over to Maya and gently wrapped his tail around her, pulling her into a gentle hug.

Naomi looked back at Numa and smiled, watching as her precious little girl slept.

"Naomi," Maya said softly, her voice still thick with emotion. "I've been her guardian since the moment of her creation. Naomi, I'm passing that responsibility to you. She… She needs a mother who'll look after her and nurture her. She needs you…. Take care of her. Because if anyone can help her now. It's you."

"I'll do whatever it takes," She promised, her voice trembling with emotion.

Maya whipped away a tear. "That's all I could ever ask for."

* * *

Zero Two awoke snuggled close to Darling's chest, the scent of their lovemaking still prevalent, from the night before. She smiled. She and Darling had just connected in a way that was super special and was more profound than anything she had ever experienced. It was so special in fact that even right now, their love could be manifesting in her womb and growing into their baby.

She heard a yawn and looked up to see Darling's sapphire blue eyes staring into hers.

"Morning." He whispered sweetly.

"Morning, Darling." She replied.

Leaning forward, she kissed him and realized that their horns had broken away from each other in the middle of the night.

"How are you feeling?" Darling asked, smiling.

"Warm."

She snuggled closer to him and could feel their naked bodies pressed together, in their intimate embrace. Maybe she was just imagining it, but as they were snuggled together, she could almost feel a pulsating warmth cuddled in her pelvis.

"Do you think you're pregnant?" He asked in the most adorable voice.

She smiled and playfully rolled on top of him, and shifting herself around a little bit nestled the place where her womb was, as close to him as possible.

"I think so." She hummed. "I think that our little bundle of joy is nestled inside me right now, wondering what we're doing."

The biggest smile she had ever seen spread across his face. "Do you think It'll be a boy or a girl?" He asked, giving her a kiss.

"I think it'll be a boy." She hummed happily. "And I'm going to name him Hiro."

"But that's my name." He protested with a smile.

"No, you're Darling." She corrected.

An amused smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "Hiro."

"Darling."

"Hiro."

"No, Darling." She said fiercely.

He smiled and hugged her too him. "Fine. I'll be Darling. But I think we're going to have a little girl instead. A little girl who looks just like her mother."

"I still think it'll be a boy." She whispered.

He laughed. "I think you just want to use the name, Hiro."

She blushed. "So..."

He smiled and kissed her. "Argh. I need to know now! Come on, you gotta know, tell me you have a little sensor that tells you if you're pregnant."

"Darling." She giggled. "It doesn't work that way…. At least, I don't think it does?"

"Where's that book?"

He felt Zero Two sit up and crawl over the side of the bed to retrieve the book. When she finally retrieved it, she sat up and flipped open the book. As she sat there reading, he simply marveled at how beautiful she was. He was so lucky to have someone as perfect as her. They were made for each other. They were meant to be together.

"Got it." She announced, still reading the book. "Um... Okay… It says here that we can't know for certain until a month or so has passed… Something about that if the baby implanted in the womb, there won't be any monthly bleeding." She looked up. "So, I guess that means we have to wait a month."

He smiled. "It's going to be agony waiting for that month to pass."

She smiled. "I know." She kept skimming through the pages. "You know I really should give this book a read through cover to cover. We're going to have a baby sooner or later, I should prepare myself for our baby."

He chuckled. "We both probably should. As the father, I need to be able to help you and be there for you."

She smiled. "Thanks, Darling."

He blushed and scratched his head nervously, looking for a diversion he said. "So... I wonder who wrote that book."

He watched as Zero Two searched the book, checking for some sort of name when she got to the back cover she gasped.

"What?"

She looked up at him. "This book was written by Dr. Franxx."

His eyes went wide. "Really!?"

Zero Two stared off into the distance lost in thought. She looked down at the book and stared at the name. "I don't know what to think anymore... I've spent my whole life hating him. He did so many horrible things to me and yet... Right now... I owe everything to him. He got me away from the Nines. He brought me to Plantation 13 when no one else would." She smiled at him. "I would have never have found you if he hadn't brought me here."

He sighed. "I know the feeling. My instant reaction upon seeing what he did to you was revulsion. But now that I think about it. He's the very reason I was able to recover my memories in the first place."

Zero Two absentmindedly flipped through the book. The very book whose knowledge had just inspired them to try and make a baby, which at this very moment could very well be nestled in her womb growing into their child.

After a long moment, she said. "You know I think I owe him a visit." She smiled amused. "And maybe even an apology."

He nodded. "I'll go with you."

Zero Two closed the book, and with a sigh, they both dressed, heading downstairs, they entered the elevators and descended into the plantation. Their footsteps echoed as they made their way over to the command center. The door slide open as they approached, and they stepped inside.

"Good morning, you two." Nana greeted. "What can we do for you?"

"We'd like to see Dr. Franxx." Zero Two asked politely.

"He's in his office."

"Thank you."

Strolling over to the door, they gave a gentle knock.

"Come." Dr. Franxx called, the door sliding open.

They stepped inside, and he felt Zero Two sneak her hand into his.

"Is there something I can help you two with?" Dr. Franxx asked with a smile.

"I..I wanted to ask you a few questions." Zero Two replied nervously.

Dr. Franxx nodded. "Please... Sit down."

They took their seats, and he sat, waiting for Zero Two to speak.

"Why?" She blurted, almost involuntarily. "I mean… Thank you for helping me reunite with Darling."

Dr. Franxx shook his head. "Don't thank me. Zero Two I owe you far more than I could ever repay." The doctor gulped nervously, and he heard the pain in the doctor's voice. "I am sorry… To both of you. That day that we caught you guys, I destroyed something special." The doctor sniffed and stared at Zero Two. "I'm so sorry, Zero Two… Not a moment goes by where I wish I could go back and fix those horrible mistakes. And to think that I sent you off to be with Papa and the Nines."

Zero Two stared at the doctor. "I.. I want to understand what made you change your mind. Why, after all you did to me, would you suddenly change your mind?"

"I don't know what happened or how it happened. But… I watched you beating yourself as you tried to regain your memories, and I felt something inside me shift. I don't know what happened. All I know was that by the time I was watching Papa drag you to his transport, All I wanted to do was protect you." Dr. Franxx sniffed in disgust. "Even then, I still was too much of a coward to do anything."

"Why… Why did it take so long for you to get me back from him?" Zero Two asked.

"You don't understand how powerful you are Zero Two. Your effectiveness on the battlefield is unparalleled. Papa wouldn't give that up. Not to mention that your DNA is the base of the Nines. It took Papa half a decade to duplicate even a fraction of your power." Dr. Franxx sighed. "Getting you back, when you were so valuable to him, without revealing my true intentions was almost impossible. Frankly, I'm still surprised that it worked."

"But, you did get me away from him." Zero Two mumbled, lost in deep thought.

"Yes. That and bringing you two together again were the least I could do for you."

She looked up at him, and they stared at each other, lost for words.

"I don't know what to say." She stuttered. "I have a million reasons to hate you for what you did to me, but at the same time... At the same time, you provided me with the opportunity that I was so desperate for... And that means more to me then you could ever appreciate."

He leaned over and gave Zero Two a squeeze, and she let out a pent up sigh. There were serval long minutes of silence, the gentle hum of far off machinery the only sound that anyone could hear.

"Dr. Franxx." Zero Two stated braking the silence "I.. I think I'm willing to try and move forward. I feel as though you and I are on a level playing field." She glanced up at him. "I have Darling back. And if you're willing. To let us live our lives together and promise never to try and interfere. Then I'd be willing to see if we can maybe improve our relationship."

Dr. Franxx, smiled a tear sliding down his cheek. "Of course, Zero Two. You have my solemn oath that I will never interfere with your wishes ever again. You two are free to live your own lives."

They both nodded.

"So, what are you going to do about Papa?" He asked, politely.

Dr. Franxx smiled. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. Everyone on this plantation has rebelled against him. The rest of your squad has already declared their willingness to be free from him."

His mouth fell open. "W-When did this happen?" He asked, stunned.

Dr. Franxx smiled. "Yesterday, we all went into the Garden, and the squad decided as a group that they were rebelling against Papa." Dr. Franxx frowned. "They didn't mention anything to you?"

He felt his cheeks warming. "We actually didn't really see them very much at all yesterday."

Dr. Franxx's frown deepened. "Why? What were you guys doing?"

He felt this cheeks flush, and he involuntarily glanced at Zero Two's belly. "Nothing, in particular, I guess we just missed them when they were around."

"So, what's next?" Zero Two asked quickly, changing the subject.

"For now, just sit tight. I have something big planned for everybody, but it's going to take a little while. But reassured, It will help in our quest for freedom."

Zero Two stared at him. "How long have you been planning this?"

Dr. Franxx smiled sadly. "Ever since Papa took you away, I've been gaining allies and developing strategies to bring down Papa. I've finally undermined him enough that we may have a chance."

There was silence for what seemed like an eternity.

Zero Two nodded. "Well, if that's the case, then I'm on board. The faster he dies, the happier I'll be."

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's get this done as fast as we can."

His eyes met hers, and they gave a slight nod. It wasn't just them anymore because they now had something more to defend. Time wasn't a luxury they could afford. Zero Two's belly was the timer, and it was critical that this was done before that timer went off.

Dr. Franxx smiled. "One step at a time. We're going to spend as much time as possible gather what strength we can because when we're discovered, it's going to be a mad dash to the end."

"Well…" Zero Two said, taking a deep breath. "If you're serious, then we're with you." She looked over at him and smiled, "Because I want the freedom to live my own life."

Dr. Franxx nodded. "Then let's make that dream a reality."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 18 of The Jian Bird.

Sorry for the delay life has just been super hectic, but thank you for all your continued support.

Stay tuned for Chapter 19 of The Jian Bird: The Catalyst of Change


	19. Chapter 19: Catalyst of Change

A little over a month, later….

"I can't believe we're here already," Ichigo commented.

The entire squad leaned against the railing of the walkway around the edge of the Plantation, feeling the cold morning air as they stood watching as they got closer to the great seed vault. The morning sun sparkling against a massive metal door inlaid into the mountainside.

So much had happened since they had left the Garden, and the plan to plant seeds inside the plantation fascinated every member of the squad. It hadn't been long after they had made their bid for freedom, that Dr. Franxx had come up to inform them of what was going on and his plan moving forward. And since that time, they could tell that the caretakers of Plantation 13 had been hard at work. They didn't know too much of what was going on, but it hadn't escaped their notice that whole sections of the plantation's armored plating had been removed, and from the constant hum of machinery they knew that something big was going on inside the Plantation.

"I still have a hard time believing that all the seeds in the entire world are inside this vault," Mitsuru said quietly.

Hiro looked over at him. "Well, I hope they are because, If not, we could be kinda screwed."

Mitsuru gave him an awkward smile. "Yeah, let's hope it's all in here."

They both turned and stared back at the vault. Things were still a little tender between them. Hiro had explained what had happened to him and Zero Two to the entire squad, but he and Mitsuru's relationship was still fragile. But at least there was some change, and when Mitsuru was assigned as Kokoro's stamen, his attitude had improved.

"Well, I guess we'll find out when we get in there," Goro said.

"Well, I hope the seeds are in there." Zero Two said happily, "I wanna plant a garden, like the one Dr. Franxx described to us."

"I thought Dr. Franxx called it a farm?" Miku interjected.

Zero Two shrugged. "Whatever it is. It makes food, right?"

Miku smiled. "Fair point."

"You know I wonder what the first food we harvest will be?"

"I heard the cucumbers grow fast, maybe that'll be the first harvest," Ikuno interjected.

Suddenly Zero Two swayed slightly where she stood and covered her mouth, swallowing hard. She backed away from the squad and leaned up against the wall of the plantation, looking like she was going to be sick.

"You alright, Zero Two!?" He cried alarmed, hurrying over to her.

She swallowed hard and gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little bit queasy. I'll be okay. Just give me a moment."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Miku asked before he got the chance.

Zero Two smiled and straightened. "Of course. See, I'm already feeling better."

He couldn't help but notice that her hand drifted to her belly, and her fingers were tense as she tried to subtly alleviate her discomfort.

"You got something against cucumbers, then?" Ikuno asked curiously.

Zero Two shook her head. "No. Seriously, guys, it's no big deal. I just felt a little nauseous for a moment."

Just then, Ichigo's communicator beeped, and the squad's attention was momentarily diverted.

"Dr. Franxx says to meet him in the hangar in fifteen minutes," Ichigo said after reading through the message.

Goro nodded. "Well, I guess we better get going."

The rest of the squad started to meander away, but Hiro hadn't taken more than a step when he noticed the Zero Two wasn't moving.

"I'll meet you guys there." Zero Two said doing her best to smile. "Just want a quick moment to myself."

The squad indicated their understanding and began to walk away, but he made his way over to her and stood by her. As the squad rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight, Zero Two's mask fell away, and she looked to be in extreme discomfort.

"How did you read my mind?" Zero Two asked distractedly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"How did you know I wanted you to stay? I told everyone to leave."

He let out a small chuckle. "I'm not going anywhere without you, silly."

Zero two let out a small chuckle that was cut short as she covered her mouth.

"Are you alright…"

Before he' ed even finished his sentence, Zero Two leaned over the railing and wretch, and the putrid smell of vomit assaulted his nose.

"Zero Two!" He cried, in alarm.

Hurriedly he pulled her hair up and out of the way as she continued to wretch over the side of the railing. Gently he rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. He felt her convulse as she continued to empty the contents of her stomach. After another moment, she coughed and spit over the side of the railing, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." She said, breathing heavily.

"Never mind that we need to get you to the medical bay," He countered concern written all over his face. "You're obviously sick, and you shouldn't even be outside right now."

She shook her head, "I'm not sick."

"And how would you know that?"

Zero Two opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again, she appeared to be in deep thought.

She straightened and turned to him. "I'll tell you later, for now, I just need you to trust me on this."

"But."

"Please, Darling, I promise I won't keep you in suspense for long."

He let out a sigh. "Okay. Just make sure you don't push yourself too hard."

She smiled. "I promise."

They stood gazing out at the seed vault for serval long moments, but eventually, Zero Two broke the silence.

"We should probably catch up with the others."

He nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

As they began to walk away, he spotted out of the corner of his eye Zero Two gently stroke her belly and give a small smile, before straightening.

Then suddenly, she bounded forward and broke into a little bit of a run.

"Come on, Darling. Let's join the others. I wanna see all these seeds for myself." She said, beaming at him.

Smiling, he ran after her.

* * *

They all gathered in the main lobby waiting for Dr. Franxx, excited to see the contents of the seed vault.

A few moments later, Dr. Franxx walked in with a smile on his face. "Hello, everybody. I hope everyone's morning is going well so far."

Everyone agreed, and they all couldn't wait to see the vault that they had heard so much about.

Dr. Franxx smiled. Well, everybody, I have one more surprise before we enter the vault."

A door slid open and in walked.

"Futoshi!" The squad cried.

They ran over to him, their questions and concerns coming at such a rapid rate that they were impossible to answer.

Futoshi smiled and began speaking his own greeting, just letting it cut through the squad shock. "I'm all better now. It took me a while to heal, but now that I have, I feel better than I ever have."

"I'm so glad you made it," Goro said, sounding like a huge weight had been taken off his chest.

"So am I," Futoshi replied, smiling.

The entire squad all took their time greeting their recovered comrade, but Ikuno sharp eyes were the first to spot a problem. She realized that Futoshi was wearing black glasses, and they couldn't see his eyes. "Futoshi. Why are you wearing glasses?" She asked, puzzled.

The entire squad fell silent, waiting for Futoshi.

Futoshi sighed and took off the glasses to reveal dimly glowing eyes. The entire squad recoiled in shock, stunned into complete silence. But slowly like the sound of an engine revving questions started to spill from the squad's mouths, until it was all one giant wall of noise.

The question that finally broke through was. "What happened!?"

Futoshi shook his head and gave a small smile. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know. I can see just as well as I usually can… Better actually, and outside of the obvious, they don't feel any different." Futoshi paused for a moment, and slowly began to roll up he sleeve on his left arm. "And as scary as this is, all I can feel is a dull ache."

"What the heck is that!" Zorome shouted in horror, as Futoshi revealed glowing blue veins running down his arm.

Futoshi shook his head and looked over at Dr. Franxx. "I don't know, but Dr. Franxx says that I'll be okay."

The squad gave the doctor and expectant look.

Dr. Franxx shrugged. "From all the examinations that I've done, he seems to be perfectly fine, and apart from the obvious, he's in better condition than he ever was."

"But what is all that blue stuff?" Kokoro questioned.

"All I can say is that it's from the Klaxosaur, that attacked you two. What it's doing to him, I don't know. The only comfort I can offer on that front is that I have his comm measuring his vitals if something goes wrong, I'll know about it instantly."

Futoshi coughed loudly to break the uncomfortable silence. "To be honest, I'm just glad to be alive. I really thought I wasn't going to make it."

"Oh, Futoshi." Kokoro sobbed, running up to him and hugging him. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was terrified that we were going to lose you."

Futoshi looking surprised but pleased, gently returned the hug.

"Well, if you're truly okay, all I can say is welcome back, my friend," Goro said with a smile.

Futoshi looked up. "Thanks."

Dr. Franxx let the squad bask in their jubilation for their lost comrade, but after a while, he let out a small cough. "I'm sorry to break all this up… We do have limited time today however, so I suggest we make our way towards the vault."

Futoshi was the first to respond. "Yeah good idea, I've wanted to see this thing for a while now."

"Wait Futoshi, you know what we're doing?" Ichigo interjected surprised.

"Yes, of course. Dr. Franxx has kept me very informed about what you guys are doing, and I'm completely on board."

Dr. Franxx turned and began to walk away. "Well, come along. We've got a full day's work ahead of us, so let's begin.

* * *

The squad stood before the giant doors of the seed vault staring up in amazement. With a smile, Dr. Franxx stepped up to a control pad and entered the code to open the doors, a few moments later, there was a deafening warning alarm, followed by a loud hiss.

"Did it work?" Zorome asked, startled.

Just then, they heard the sound of metal grinding against metal, and the massive doors to the Great seed vault screeched open, protesting from a hundred years of non-use. They stepped into a staging area, and the doors shut behind them, with a deafening "BOOM," but before they even had time to recover, a second set of door slid open to reveal…

"Somebody pinch me." Goro gapped.

But nobody did, as they stared upon rows and rows of crates stacked floor to ceiling as far as the eye could see.

Dr. Franxx started forward and turned to them. "Well, everybody, I present humanity's great seed vault."

They all walked forward open-mouthed, stunned by the sheer scale of what they were seeing.

"I didn't know that there were this many seeds in the entire world," Goro whispered.

Dr. Franxx chuckled. "The world is a big place my friend, what's in here isn't nearly enough to restore the planet."

The squad looked at him in disbelief.

Dr. Franxx smiled. "It'll be enough for a start, though. We'll cram as much of it as we can onto the plantation and then run as fast as we can."

Hiro stiffened. "Are we in danger here?"

Dr. Franxx shook his head but said, looking grim. "No, not yet. But we just gave away our position, and Papa will now know that we're against him."

"How will he know that?" Zero Two asked.

"Because Papa has ordered us to attack the Gran Crevasse, which is the main headquarters of the Klaxosaurs. I have him thinking we're heading there now, but when we don't show up for the assault, he'll know we're lying and will most defiantly start hunting us down."

"Well, there no point in dallying," Ichigo said abruptly. "We'll worry about Papa later. For now, let see how many of these seeds we can fit on the plantation."

Dr. Franxx nodded. "I like your attitude. He grabbed his communicator. "Nana, Hachi, start harvesting the dirt, and prep it the way we discussed." The Doctor turned to the squad. "You'll find a transport hauler parked just around the corner, I'll help you get it over here. The rest of you, this is relatively simple but tedious. Come with me, and I'll show you."

They followed him over to a row and saw a control pad. The doctor punched in L5, and a machine with to clamps ascended the metal support structure of the storage row and moved over to a crate from around the middle. It grabbed it and made its way back over to them, dropping the crate off on the floor in front of them.

"Relatively simple." The Doctor explained. "I'll send a list of what numbers to type to each of your comms. Now everyone go find your own row, and I'll send them over once you're done. Futoshi you come with me, I want you to be the driver of the transport and grab the crates that your squadmates retrieve."

Futoshi smiled and started off after him.

Serval long minutes later, he stood in the middle of the entrance, ready to get started. Futoshi had understood his instruction well enough, and although watching him drive was like pulling teeth, It was serviceable enough to allow him to do his job.

"Alright, everybody!" He cried, holding up his communicator. "We all ready!?"

"Yes!" The squad called back.

"Alright, sending your instruction in 3, 2, 1!" His communicator beeped, indicating that the messages had been sent, and a few moments later, he heard the hum of the cargo retrievers zooming off towards their specified crates.

He sighed and watched in contentment as the squad went about their task and began to make the first steps towards their new future.

* * *

"That's the last crate." Zero Two announced, loading it onto the transport.

He watched as Hiro reached out a hand and helped her up to where the rest of the squad had gathered at the front half of the transport's loading bed.

"Alright, Futoshi, let's get back to the plantation."

"Aye, sir."

The transport swung around and began to drive off towards the entrance to the seed vault. With a sigh of relief, he looked back at the storage rows where all the seeds had been kept. Most of them still containing a vast majority of their crates. It was simply impossible for the plantation to house them all, and they only had the time to take what they needed.

"Sir," Zorome shouted over the hum of the transport. "What's going to happen to the rest of the crates?"

"Hopefully, nothing." He shouted back. "If we all survive this, we'll come back for them if they're still here."

"And if they're not?"

"Then, you better hope you're good gardeners because we have a finite amount of seeds here."

The squad fell silent, looking tense.

"You'll be fine. Humanity has been growing food for thousands of years, and I put as much of that knowledge as I could in the library. I'm sure we'll manage."

The transport zoomed out the main doors of the vault, and they watch with apprehension as the great doors sealed behind them, shimmering gold with the light of the setting sun. A few moments later, the transport arrived in a loading dock of Plantation 13, and everyone hopped off.

Dr. Franxx glanced around, searching for where they could put the rest of the crates. The transport and made serval deliveries already, and he realized that he might have overestimated how many creates this bay could hold.

"Sir," Goro pipped up. "I don't think we can fit all the crates in here."

"I know." He muttered. "Let's see… Hmm. Yeah, we better do that."

He whipped out his communicator, "Hachi, could you lower the transport elevator in bay 4, please."

"Of course. You ready."

"One moment." He replied, then turning to Futoshi, he said. "Futoshi line the transport up with that red square on the floor."

"Got it." The transport hummed to life as Futoshi repositioned them in the correct location.

He nodded and said to Hachi. "Ready."

The transport shook slightly as the floor that was the elevator began to sink into the plantation. He smiled as he heard the squads gasps of surprise, and waited as the descended further and further down. A few moments later, they arrived at a staging area on the outskirts of the city.

"Oh my," Ichigo said, stunned.

He smiled as he saw the looks of shock that crossed the squad's faces. He looked up and observed the city, which was unrecognizable from what it had been. Everything was gone, not a trace of the city was left, the golden paneling that had once covered the building was placed strategically all over the dome to reflect the sunlight that the plantation had been modified to let in. Piping that had once brought souls magma energy for the inhabitant's consumption had been reworked to distribute water. The only thing left of the city itself was the black base that the buildings had been built on that were raise to different elevations to create some sort of "landscape" for the now-demolished city. And looking far in the distance, he saw the dirt that the plantation had been harvesting pilling up in the corner, and judging from the rich dark brown color he saw, he was ecstatic to know that his plan to reenergize the Earth's soil was working.

"What the heck have you guys done to this place?" Hiro said awed.

"Stripped it of all obstruction." He replied.

"And what happened to all the adults?" Kokoro asked.

"They're in a better place." He said sadly. "In truth, humanity died long ago, all you saw was their shells." He looked down at all of them. "In fact, this squad is probably the last unaltered batch of humans that still exist. All your peers have been modified in some way.'

"You're saying that we're the only non-modified humans in existence?" Goro said, horrified.

He nodded. "For now. The caretakers and I are hopefully going to find a solution to that problem in the future."

"So, what now?" Zero Two asked.

"For the moment nothing. You guys have accomplished a lot today, and as much as I'd like to start planting, the caretakers and I have a few more things to do. We'll get started soon, I promise. But for now, you guys can relax."

They nodded.

"Call me as soon as you're ready," Ichigo said as everyone began to walk away.

"I will." He said with a nod.

Once the entire squad had left, he sighed and sat down. Pulling out his communicator, he began sketching out plans for how he wanted to set up a city-sized garden.

* * *

Later that night, Hiro turned off the water in the shower and began to dry himself. It had been a long day, and he was about ready to turn in for the night, they' ed accomplished so much today, and it felt good to have actually accomplished something meaningful. Still musing, he made his way to their room and found Zero Two lying naked on their bed, her eyes closed and a blissful expression on her face. He felt his cheeks warming, even though they'd shared each other's bodies and had hopefully conceived a child, it didn't change how damn alluring she was. As he made his way over to her, he noticed that something seemed different. Maybe he was just imagining it, but her breasts seemed fuller, and her nipples were darker. He shrugged and sat down next to her and gently ran his finger through her silky pink hair.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at him. "Your back." She said softly.

He nodded. "Yep."

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again, squirming slightly with pent up energy.

"What is it?" He asked. "You look like a child who's done something naughty."

Zero Two blushed and opened her mouth serval times, trying to speak.

He gave her an expectant look, and her squirming intensified. But after a moment, she gave a nervous gulp and looked him straight in the eye.

"Darling." She whispered softly. "Let's link our minds again. There's… There's something I want to show you."

"Okay." He agreed, slightly confused.

Laying down next to her, he gently rubbed his horns against hers and felt their consciousness fuse together again. He sat quietly for a moment, feeling her all around him, but as he basked in her presence, he realized that there was something more. Something he couldn't explain.

He heard her gentle heartbeat. THUD, THUD, THUD, t..ud, THUD. He grimaced and listened more closely. "THUD, THUD, thud, THUD, thud, THUD, THUD. He concentrated, focusing with all his might. And then he heard it. "THUD, thud, THUD, thud, THUD, thud, THUD, thud.

His heart leapt into his mouth. "Zero Two.." He said, trembling. "There's a second heartbeat in here."

She hummed and gently nuzzled him. "I know. Darling. I'm pregnant."

He let out a sob of joy and kissed her, imbuing her with as much love and passion as he could. They separated, and he stared into her loving emerald eyes.

"Yes!" He sobbed tears streaming down his face. "I can't believe it. We really did it!?"

She smiled, the happiest smile he'd ever seen spread across her face. "Yeah, we did. The book told me what I should be looking out for, and I'm showing all the signs. And while you were in the shower, my horns started to pulsate, and the baby connected with me. I got to feel its little heartbeat inside me."

He sobbed and nuzzled his face against hers. "I can't believe it. Were parents now… It's such an amazing thought to think that our little baby is inside you right now listening to everything we say."

She sobbed and hugged him close, their naked bodies pressed together, as the reveled in each other's affection, rejoicing in the confirmation that their love was growing into their child. Gently he separated from her and began to kiss his way down towards her belly, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake.

As he got to her belly, he gently nuzzled it and began to cover the whole area with kisses, still reveling in the fact that their baby was so close.

"Hi, little one." He whispered.

Zero Two squirmed and hummed affectionately.

"I can't wait to meet you, and I want you to know that mommy and daddy love you so much." He gave her belly another little kiss. "Until then, mommy is going to take good care of you, I promise."

He looked up and gazed at the woman he loved a big dumb smile on his face. Still reveling in the fact that their baby was on the way.

She stared at him with all the love and passion there was in the world and giggled. "Darling, you're, being silly. The baby can't hear you."

He smiled and kissed her belly again. "You'd be surprised. And they're going to hear it a thousand more times before they're born."

She reached down and gently ran her finger through his hair as he rested his head on her belly. She let out a long breath. "Were a family now." She breathed.

"I know." He whispered happily. "I almost feel like I'm dreaming."

She chuckled and said ruefully. "Well, you're not. My symptoms have made that all too clear to me."

He let out I sigh, and gently nuzzled her belly. "Well, I guess I have another reason to keep you safe. Can't have mommy getting hurt, can we."

She sat up and look him straight in the eye, her voice suddenly stern. "Don't you dare do anything stupid for my sake. And you make damn sure that you don't get yourself killed."

He smiled. "I don't plan too." He gently leaned forward and kissed her belly again. "But if I'm honest, I'd rather die a thousand deaths then watch harm come to you or our child."

"No, don't you dare." She said, tears starting to slide down her face. "I can't do this without you."

He sat up startled, Zero Two wasn't usually this emotional, and seeing her like this spooked him. "Shh…" He soothed, pulling her into a hug. "Come on, you know me. What makes you think that I'd willingly want to be separated from you."

"You… You done stupid, overly protective things even when I wasn't pregnant." She sniffed. "And knowing you, you'll do something dumb and throw all reason out the window if you think something will try and hurt me now that I'm pregnant."

He shook his head in amusement and let out a small chuckle. "Oh, Zero Two. That's what you're concerned over?"

"Yes, I am!" She sobbed.

He sighed and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Zero Two, look at me."

She did.

"Zero Two I promise I won't do anything that'll get me killed. And I vow to you that when our baby comes, I'll be right there beside you."

"Really?" She sniffed teary-eyed.

"Of course." Then with an amused shake of his head said, "Happy now."

"Hmm." She nodded and sat up, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "I don't know why I suddenly started crying over this." She said horsily.

He chuckled. "Being pregnant is making you do weird things, isn't it."

She grinned sheepishly. "I guess."

He smiled warmly. "Can't say I blame you. With Papa still around, we'll always be in danger. We should be prepared for anything."

Zero Two looked down at her belly. "Do you think there's any chance of us being free of him before it's time?"

He sighed. "I really hope so… But bringing down the man who dominated the world, in eight months. I really hope Dr. Franxx knows somebody who'd lend us a hand." He stared at Zero Two, the mother of their child and the woman he loved. "Because damn it, the moment you bring our baby into the world, I feel that it's of the utmost importance that at least one of us is always with it, and I am not bringing a newborn to a FRANXX, that's for damn sure."

Zero Two shook herself. "Come on, I don't want to think about that. We'll…. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

He nodded. "Your right... Dwelling on what I can't control won't help." He smiled. "Besides, I have much better things to think about now."

"Don't get too carried away." She said sweetly.

He smiled. "No promises. I've got nine months to spoil you, and think up lots of different ideas."

"Darling." She said, "Before you start doing anything too ridiculous, I want to try something. I wanna see how long it takes the squad to notice I'm pregnant. So I want this to be our little secret for as long as possible. So don't over spoil me more than you already do, You'll give the game up to fast."

He squirmed. "Oh… That's going to be so hard. Because damn it every time I look at you the knowledge that your caring makes me all warm and fuzzy."

She chuckled softly and grinned evilly. "Well, then daddy will just have to exercise some self-control, huh." She said, looking down at her belly.

They sat in companionable silence for serval long minutes, just taking a moment to be with each other. But eventually, Zero Two yawned and stretched, and he realized just how tired he actually was.

With another yawn, Zero Two relaxed unto the bed and stared up at him. "You staying up?" She asked.

He shook his head and made his way over to her. "Nah. It's been a long day. I was just thinking about turning in myself."

Laying down, he gently pulled the blankets up around them and cuddled close to her as they prepared to fall asleep. Unable to resist the urge, he slipped an arm around her and gently held her belly. She hummed affectionately and yawned as she relaxed into his arms.

Gently he kissed the back of her head and said. "Well, tonight's the first night we'll officially be a family." He said sweetly.

"Oh, Darling…" She said with a sigh. "You're even more excited for this than I am."

He chuckled. "Fine. Fine, I'll stop."

Gently she stroked the hand holding her belly. "Just take it easy until I have something to show for it. I don't want you to tire yourself out before major changes start happening."

He held her close. "Don't worry, I'll never run out of enthusiasm. But I guess I'll keep it on the down-low, I'm already at risk of spoiling our surprise."

"At least you recognize that much." She said, yawning. Then relaxing into his arms, she mumbled. "Night, Darling."

He smiled. "Good night."

* * *

The Nines came to a halt outside the entrance to nest 66. It had taken the squad far longer than it should've to get here. Their new bodies required feeding every few hours, and out of pure desperation, they spent enormous amounts of time just hunting Klaxosaurs to feed off of.

But now they were finally here, and ready to destroy this nest. Nine Alpha stared at the nest the thought of a Klaxosaur brimming with life energy, making him salivate. He was so hungry. He needed to be fed. He needed to devour that Klaxosaur. He felt his own saliva pooling in the mask, which fed him the Klaxosaur's life energy. A small voice in the back of his head made clear its disgust. He felt like a rabid animal, his thoughts focused solely on finding his next meal, wallowing in his own filth, as he obeyed his master's commands. As he stared at the entrance to the cave, he felt a twinge of pain stab through him as his nerves jabbed at him, urging him to feed. It burned and stung, and he knew that if he didn't obey soon, his own body would torture him until he succumbed like a broken animal.

Beta and Gamma's angry faces flashed up on his cockpit's screen. "What are you waiting for?" They both growled.

He stared back at them, the people that had once been his squadmates, now nothing more than wild animals. The injections had changed them, but instead of being disgusted, they seemed to be relishing in it. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they stared at everything with an urge to consume it.

He saw Delta open a private comm to him. "Alpha…" She whispered. "Please…"

Her plea was his call to action, as he stared at her shadowed eyes barely visible above the feeding mask that muzzled her. She had to be in pain, she'd been struggling ever since Papa's injections, and he knew that prolonged sessions without feeding were especially painful for her.

"Alright squad attack formation." He commanded. "Delta stay close to me, Beta, Gamma support us."

"As you wish." Beta said dryly.

"Okay, let's go." He order.

They started forward spears at the ready, descending deep into the Earth, as they delved deeper into the depths of nest 66. The walked in darkness for what seemed like an eternity, but finally, just ahead, they saw a faint glowing light, and as they got closer, the realized that the Klaxosaur was in its nest. They tried to be as quiet as possible, but when they heard a scream of rage and hatred, they realized that they'd been discovered.

"Charge!" He yelled.

They charged forward, abandoning stealth, making for the entrance to the sanctum of the Klaxosaur's nest. Barely a second later, a beam of energy whizzed by them and just missed Delta's head. A second beam wasn't far behind, and Beta had to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit. Alpha dashed forward his spear raised, and lunged at the Klaxosaur, it dashed out of the way, and he hit the wall and was forced to dive forward unto the floor to avoid the tail of a second Klaxosaur.

"Shit." He hissed as he rolled unto cover behind the cluster of pods that are always in Klaxosaur nests. "There wasn't supposed to be two in here."

The rest of the Nines burst into the clearing, and the Klaxosaurs were momentarily distracted, and taking a quick moment, he studied his opponents, notice that the larger one took a protective stance over the one behind it, and was bigger and bulkier compared to the second.

"Attack!' He shouted over the comm.

The squad launched at the Klaxosaurs spears jabbing forward with deadly precision, the larger one leaped and managed to force Beta and Gamma to leap for cover. Delta took her chance at the second one and lunged forward. He followed her lead and came in from the side his spear raised for a deadly thrust. The second Klaxosaur intercepted Delta and threw her against the wall, but realized to late the trap he had set.

All of a sudden, he was sent flying and smashed into the cave wall, groaning he picked himself up and saw that the first Klaxosaur and managed to ram him a second before it was too late. It was a brave final act, Beta and Gamma flew at the Klaxosaur and buried their spears in the Klaxosaur disabling it, and seeing the opening he needed, launched forward and drove his spear into the Klaxosaur's chest shattering the core. Strangely, however, instead of the Klaxosaur exploding like they usually did, this one just seemed to die. He stood baffled. What made this Klaxosaur different? Sure it had a wholly unique design that didn't seem to match anything he had encountered so far. But weren't Klaxosaurs all the same? There couldn't be more than one type could there?

The second Klaxosaur screamed in rage and lunged at him. Abandoning his spear and rolled out of the way, the Klaxosaur's jaws missing him by an inch. It lunged again as he tried to recover, and he was pinned against the cave wall, the Klaxosaur reared and began to charge up to fire a beam of energy, helpless he struggled to be free, trying to avoid that deadly blast.

Over the comms, he heard Delta scream, and the Klaxosaur leaped to avoid Delta as she attacked. And He quickly jerked his head out of the way to avoid Delta's spear that slammed into the rock where his head had been. Delta didn't even seem to notice and yanked her spear from the wall, and he watched transfixed as Delta, Beta, and Gamma all lunged at the Klaxosaur from three different directions. The Klaxosaur managed to dodge Gamma and got a glancing blow against Beta, but it was Delta's spear that pierced the Klaxosaur and drove itself straight through the core. It let out a cry of pain and collapsed, slumping to the floor as Delta removed her spear.

He stood and walked over to the first Klaxosaur and retrieved his spear, docking it on the back of his FRANXX, leaving his hands free.

"Good work, team." He said to the other Nines.

Nobody paid any attention to him; instead, they all dove their fangs into the dying Klaxosaur harvesting the life essence they needed to satiate their hunger. He felt a stabbing pain in his stomach and knew that he too needed to feed. Hurriedly he joined his squad and drove his fangs into the Klaxosaur's neck, feeding off the Klaxosaur's life energy. As his FRANXX harvested the energy for him, he felt it being poured down his throat, forcing him to eat the meal that his body needed to survive.

He was the first to finish and standing he observed his squad-mates, as they continued to gorge themselves. As he stood, observing the aftermath of their flight, staring mesmerized at the broken and mutated bodies of the Klaxosaurs. The larger one had died shortly after they had begun feeding, but the second one was still clinging to life as it lay dying next to the eggs that they had been protecting. He sighed, this had been a tough mission. The two Klaxosaurs had fought hard to protect their nest, but ultimately he and his squad had triumphed. The only thing left was to destroy the eggs and mark this nest as cleared.

He glanced back at his squad as they continued to feed like animals. He felt a tightening in his stomach, and although he' ed seen this behavior at every feeding, he felt disgusted at what they had become. He knew that he didn't look much better when he was feeding, but at least he tried to show restraint. The only one he felt pity for was Delta. She was his favorite and was in a lot of pain, so she was the exception. But the others. What was their excuse?

He walked over to the eggs and took a moment to stare at them, he' ed never really bothered, but since he had the time, it wouldn't hurt to take a look. As he studied them, he began to question what he' ed always been told. They were supposed to be food storage, but as he investigated, this seemed like an incredibly poor way to store food, not to mention why would the Klaxosaur go to such lengths to protect it. Dying for storage seemed like a stupid idea. Maybe there was something more to this.

"Hmmm. What is this thing?" He muttered.

As he continued to stare, he noticed an odd thing in the center of the eggs. It vaguely looked like a tiny Klaxosaur but, that didn't make a whole lotta sense so…. His eyes went wide as he saw something moved inside the egg. Something was alive in there!

"Alpha," Beta called.

He whipped around distracted. "What?"

"What did the eggs taste like?"

"What? How would I know?"

"I thought you were eating them." Beta stated, "They look quite appetizing from over here."

The rest of the Nines moved over to beside the eggs eyeing them with what he could only imagine to be a hungry expression.

"Do you think it tastes better than a Klaxosaur?" Gamma asked.

"I wanna find out. That last Klaxosaur tasted like shit. But these… They look wonderful."

"Why do you think they glow?" Delta asked, in a hungry voice that made him sick.

"I think we should leave them alone." He said suddenly, watching as the thing in one of the eggs moved again. "These'll die or whatever without the Klaxosaurs around. Let's leave."

"I don't know Alpha," Delta said. "It couldn't hurt to try one, could it?"

"I don't think…"

"Good idea, Delta." Beta agreed. "Maybe these'll finally satiate my hunger. That'll stop the pain, right?"

"No more pain…." Delta moaned.

He felt his stomach clench, something was about to give, and he was losing control.

"Nines!" He shouted. "Retreat…."

Too late. Delta launched forward, in a mad frenzy, and scooped up one of the eggs, ripping it from its protective nest. Before he could even blink, she drove her fangs into it and began to devour it, with an animalistic fervor. He watched as the thing inside it twitched feebly, but before he'd even had time to process what he'd seen, the egg collapsed, and he watched as it hit the ground.

The dying Klaxosaur gave a feeble wail, unable to move, the last visages of its life slipping away.

Beta and Gamma launched at the eggs as well and began to devour them as well, but unlike Delta, whatever was inside those eggs never fell to the floor.

Gently he picked up the thing that had fallen out of Delta's egg and stared at it. It twitched feebly, trying to survive. It looked so raw, vulnerable, and helpless; it seemed so underdeveloped. He saw it struggling, trying desperately to hold on to life. It wanted to live, and they'd ripped it from its protective egg, and consumed it. He stared at it, and he felt tears running down his face as he stared at this helpless little thing. Why!? Why was this happening? Why did he feel this way? This was a Klaxosaur. The creatures that existed to destroy humanity, why was he sitting here crying over, this tiny Klaxosaur?

He looked over at the Klaxosaur that lay dying on the cave floor. It stared at him, a desperate pleading look in its eyes. Not even thinking about what he was doing, he walked over to the Klaxosaur, and gently set down the thing from the egg, just in front of it. He watched as the Klaxosaur gently nuzzled, the tiny, helpless Klaxosaur, using every ounce of strength it had left, to be with its… its… He watched glued to the spot as the little Klaxosaur reached out a tiny little limb and made contact with its guardian. The Klaxosaur closed its eyes, and he saw what looked like a tear leak from its eye before they both collapsed dead to the cave floor. He stared at them, trembling, unable to explain what was going on. Why was this happening? Why did he feel this way!? He collapsed to the cave floor, unable to understand what was going on. He looked up at his squad and watched as they devour the eggs, consuming everything. He stared in horror at what had happened to his squad.

Just then, he became aware of somebody sobbing, their voice filled with anguish and desperation. As he listened, he realized that his private comm call with Delta was still open, and he could hear her. Sobbing hysterically, and screaming in pain as she fought to stop what she was doing but unable to. He watched as she grabbed another egg and watched as she dove her fangs into it feeding. But if that wasn't enough, he watched her through the call choking and retching as the substance was forced down her throat. He watched as she screamed in pain and desperation as she was violated; all vestiges of her self control, stripped from her, as Papa used her for his own sick purposes.

"PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!" She wailed as she began reaching for another of the eggs. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, I'LL DO ANYTHING! PAPA! HELP ME PLEASE!"

He watched as she brought another egg up to her fangs again, sobbing and begging for it to stop. He sat glued to the spot. Surely Papa would come! He had to come. He always looked out for them. Right!? Surely he wouldn't let Delta keep suffering like this. Time seemed to slow, as he watched Delta bring the egg to her fangs. Papa had to come. Surely in her hour of greatest need, Papa would come to save her. He may of had his doubts before, but he had to come, this time. He just had too, he'd come and fix all this. This was all just a bad dream!

"PAPA PLEASE!" He begged. "HELP HER!"

Delta bit into the egg, and his whole world, shattered, and the only sound he heard was Delta screaming in pain. Papa wasn't coming. He didn't care about them, he used them. They were just his puppets. And all this. All this suffering. It was Papa's fault.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 19 of The Jian Bird.

Sorry about the delay, life just been hectic lately, but don't worry I do plan on finishing this story, so there will always be an update... Eventually. Lol.

Stay tuned for chapter 20 of The Jian Bird: Together and Apart


	20. Chapter 20: Together and Apart

Papa stood on the command deck, fuming, Earth's red glow almost blinding as it shined into the command center. The time to assault the Gran Crevasse was drawing near, and Plantation 13 was nowhere to be found. If they were following the course he had set, Plantation 26 should have at least sighted them by now. Where the hell was Plantation 13?

"Have you found them yet?" He snapped at a tech that was observing navigational data.

"Not yet, Papa. Their tracking says they're right alongside Plantation 26, but nobody has spotted Plantation 13."

"Can you connect to Plantation 13?"

"I'm trying Sir, their communications signal says where connected, but they don't seem to be receiving us."

"Where's its origin?"

"Right next to Plantation 26."

He grimaced. Where was Plantation 13!? They couldn't have been destroyed, could they? Or worse yet. Had they betrayed him!? No... No, that was impossible. Werner was his lifelong friend. There was no way he could have done that.

"Prepare a planetary broadcast, open all channels."

"But sir, that'll reveal our location to the Klaxosaurs!"

"No consequence. They don't have weapons capable of hitting us. Now don't make me ask you again."

"Aye, sir. Right away, sir."

He watched with a smug smile as the techs frantically went about fulfilling his orders, desperate to please him.

"Channel open."

"Dr. Franxx." He announced. "We seem to have lost track of you buddy, now where the hell are you."

He waited… And waited… And waited…

"Any response?" He growled at his crew.

"None, Sir."

He gritted his teeth. What was going on!? Where was Werner?"

"Sir!" A tech shouted. "There is a massive energy surge coming from the surface!"

"Identify!" He shouted.

A second later, a massive energy beam slammed into Apus's construction hangar, and APE's headquarters shook violently from the impact. Warning alarms sounded, indicating that they were venting atmosphere.

"Seal the bulkheads to the hangar!" He shouted, barely keeping his balance as the station shook violently. "And get me a status report now!"

"Minor structural damage to the hangar, but the blast disabled the transport system, construction on Apus has been halted until it is restored."

Another tech shouted up from the crew pits. "I found the source of the blast." An image appeared on the main viewer, and he swore. That stupid dragon the Klaxosaur queen kept as a pet, stood panting on the edge of a mountainside staring up at them.

"Sir, there's another energy surge." A tech yelped, interrupting his thoughts.

He stared at that stupid dragon, wishing with all his might that he could do something about it. But for now, that stupid thing was safe on the surface, and he currently didn't have a weapon capable of retaliating.

"Sir!"

He gritted his teeth in disgust. "Full burn; take us into high orbit. Devote all nonessential power to the energy shield."

The station shook as all its maneuvering thrusters fired, slowly pushing them farther and farther from the Earth's surface. He watched with relief as the experimental energy shield that he' ed just commissioned, flickered to life around the station. He watched with satisfaction as the dragon's second energy blasts arched up towards them and dissipated against the shield.

"Shield holding at 90% capacity." A tech reported.

He smiled beneath his mask. "Take that you stupid Klaxosaurs." He muttered.

"Sir, Dr. Franxx is hailing us." A tech said suddenly.

He sighed in relief. "Finally." He muttered, then in a louder voice said. "Patch him through."

"Hello, Artos," Werner said, looking sad for some reason.

"Werner." He said in relief. "I'm glad we got a hold of you. We've had a hard time finding you as of late."

Werner nodded. "I know."

He felt a growing sense of unease but did his best to ignore it. Werner was his friend, after all. "So. I thought we had agreed to attack the Gran Crevasse?"

"We did. A long, long time ago."

"What do you mean we just talked about this, all Plantations are converging on the Crevasse, we're a few months away from finally ending this."

"No.. You're not. You're a fool if you think this is going to work."

"Of course, it'll work. The Gran Crevasse doesn't have enough firepower to repel Nine Iota, The Nines, and the rest of our army. They'll crumble beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Werner stared at him, sadness and contempt evident in every line in his face. "It might be a problem if Zero Two and the rest of the members of Squad 13 never show up."

He scoffed. "As if they'd have the nerve to rebel against me."

Werner shook his head. "Oh… They already have." And in a satisfied voice, he added. "And so have I."

"What." He snarled. Unable… No unwilling to comprehend what he was hearing.

"You heard me," Werner said quietly.

"Why?" He choked, his hands clenching into fists.

Werner shook his head in sad amusement. "Oh, Artos…. You are such a fool. You don't even realize it.

"Realize what?"

Werner looked at him sadly. "You became the very thing we swore to destroy. In fact. You've done more than they could have ever hoped to do."

"I saved humanity." He fired back. "You and I… We created the perfect society."

"No. We didn't."

"What do you mean, of course, we did. Everyone's free of pain. Nobody wants for anything. The equality that people fought centuries for has finally been achieved."

"No… You turned everyone into a drone. There is no more individuality. No more soul. A lifeless husk? Is that your definition of perfect. A lifeless husk that just exists forever."

"Humanity is not lifeless." He fired back. "It's been freed. Freed of the suffering and pain that has plagued it for centuries. The politics and corruption of the old world is gone, and humanity can now live in the utopia that it was always meant to."

"Utopia." Werner scoffed, shaking his head. "No real human would ever except this as a utopia."

"But they have!" He screamed. "And when the Klaxosaurs are finally destroyed, we'll be able to live on the surface once again!"

"Enough!" Werner shouted, holding up his hand. "I can't do this. I won't do this anymore, Artos we're through. You can try to stop us, but our resolve will be the end of you. Humanity. True humanity will prevail in the end. And this time, we're going to do it right."

"And for how long will that last." He said snarling. "How long will your "True humanity" prevail. Because you forget, humans die."

"That's why humans have children to continue on when their parents die and continue to build a better world."

"What children." He sneered sarcastically. "You think your parasites could ever have kids. Do you think the girls of Squad 13 want to bare the children of their combat partners."

"Combat partners." Werner laughed. "Have you been so deprived of a human connection that you've forgotten what it's like to bond with someone?"

"…"

"I'm done, Artos. I can't do this anymore. Squad 13, and I will take our chances against you. Because living in your world isn't living at all." Werner looked at him tears streaming down his face. "Goodbye, Artos. Maybe if we get another life, we can be friends again. But until that time. This is goodbye, my old friend."

The image of Werner vanished, and he stared numbly at a blank screen, the words. "No signal," demonstrating the level that their friendship had reached.

"Werner.." He snarled, feeling hot tears slipping down his cheeks. "After all we've been through… You'd betray me? After everything we promised to do together, you'd abandon me."

He felt a lump in his throat, as all his emotions fought to come bursting out of him.

He slammed his fist down on the railing and let out of hate-filled scream of rage and pain. This was the last straw he' ed had enough. Why was this happening to him? All he' ed tried to do was help humanity, to give them a better life. To stop tragedies like the seven days of fire from ever happening again. Isn't that what they'd agree to put an end too? Was the promise they'd made as children worthless?

 _"_ _Get in there!" The guard shouted, giving him a kick that sent him stumbling face-first to the ground._

 _The door to the holding cell slammed shut behind him, and he picked himself up, fighting desperately to hold back tears._

 _"_ _Here, let me help you." Said a boy who looked to be around the same age as him._

 _Grateful, he grabbed the hand the boy had offered to him and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet._

 _"_ _T-Thanks." He said weakly._

 _"_ _You just get back from the procedures?" The boy asked as they made their way over to a secluded corner of the room._

 _He nodded._

 _"_ _What they take?"_

 _He shook his head. "I don't know. They put me to sleep. All I know is that when I woke up, my body hurt all over, and seven different points on my body throbbed for hours."_

 _The boy nodded. "I've had that happen to me too. I wonder what they're doing…."_

 _"_ _I don't know, and I don't care. I just want it to stop."_

 _"_ _I suppose you're right… By the way, what's your name?"_

 _"_ _Artos." He said weakly. "How about you?"_

 _"_ _Werner." The boy said with a smile._

 _"_ _Nice to meet you, Werner."_

 _"_ _You as well."_

 _They sat in silence for serval long minutes._

 _"_ _Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" He asked timidly._

 _"_ _Yes," Werner said after a long pause. "Yes, I believe we will."_

 _"_ _I hope you're right." He said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "Because I don't want to be trapped here forever."_

 _"_ _We won't," Werner said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "We've got to stick together down here. They only win if you let them."_

 _"_ _But how do you know that? I feel like they can just take whatever they want." He said despair starting to creep into his voice._

 _"_ _Here, how about this," Werner said with a smile. "Let's promise that when we get out of here, we'll do everything we can to build a better world. A world free of all this suffering."_

 _He smiled slightly and nodded. "I swear it. When we get out, we'll build a better world. And no human will ever suffer again."_

 _Werner chuckled. "Of course. Because I have a feeling that you and I are going to accomplish great things together."_

Was that all a lie? After everything they'd been through, after all the hardships they had endured. Werner would just betray him? For what, some stupid girl!? Their lifetime's worth of dreams and struggles; thrown away for some stupid, worthless girl that came out of a bottle?!

He slammed his fist down on the command deck railing. Damn it all! Damn all of it! He was going to make Werner pay for this. It didn't matter if it was the last thing he ever did, Werner was going to pay.

"Sir?…" A bridge tech said timidly.

He stood up, his eyes alight with fury. "I have new orders for the Garden. We're modifying the parasite program. I want ready to fight parasites every two weeks, and Franxx for every pair. Its time we destroyed the Klaxosaurs."

"But, sir!" A tech protested frantically. "We can't develop fully functioning parasites in that short of time. Accelerating their growth to that level would make them nothing more than attack drones at best."

"I don't care." He snarled. "We'll worry about making real humans after the war is over… Now, if I have to repeat myself one more time, you will never speak another word."

"Yes, sir." The tech said saluting, looking terrified. "Everything will be done as you command."

"Sir!" A tech shouted. "New security footage from The Great Seed Vault, just caught Plantation 13 on camera. Dr. Franxx, Nine Iota, and the rest of Squad 13 have all been spotted."

"When was this captured!?" He demanded, the lust for revenge coursing through his veins like fire.

"Two days ago, Sir." The tech reported, "The archive team just found it."

"What direction were they headed?"

"We do not have the necessary data to determine that, Sir. But we've managed to come up with a search zone of where they could be."

Straitening himself, he stared down at the Earth's red surface. "When can we deploy attack squads?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but the nearest plantation is at least a month out."

He grimaced but held his temper. "Launch observation craft from the Garden, and have them converge on the search zone. Tell them to stay out of sight but on the target. Coordinate elimination strategy as soon as the target has been found."

"It will be done, Papa."

He let out a long sigh of pent up rage, but it felt good to have a plan of action. He was going to make Werner pay for this betrayal. Damn it if it was the last thing he ever did Werner was going to pay for this.

* * *

"Naomi…" The voice of Numa whispered.

Naomi's eyes fluttered open, and she groggily sat up. Instinctively she glanced over at Numa, who was still floating in her cloning tube. Seeing her daughter safe and happy made her smile. Numa was doing a thousand times better than she had been when she had first got here. The girl who had been perhaps days away from death's door had disappeared.

"Morning, Numa." She whispered.

She yawned and stretched, trying to work the kinks out of her body. Soon after promising to be Numa's mother, it became apparent that sleeping upstairs away from her wasn't going to work. She'd found it incredibly hard to relax, knowing that her little girl was in such a fragile state, and could possibly die at any moment. So the next morning she'd requested the privilege to sleep down here, and was relieved when Maya not only accepted her request but actually went out of her way to find some sort of bed for her, which Naomi appreciated immensely. Her duties as a mother gave more satisfaction than anything she had ever done, but she couldn't deny that it was exhausting. The babies she was nurturing inside her were always on her mind, and it felt like that, no matter how much she ate, her babies used up all her energy, so she was constantly hungry. Not only that, but her duties to Numa put another strain on her body. Breastfeeding was an incredible experience that allowed her to bond with Numa on a whole other level, but she could have never imagined how many times a day, a baby needed to be fed.

Mentally, however, she shrugged. There was no use in overthinking it, however. The bottom line was she was a mother, and not only that, she was the mother of the last remaining Klaxosapiens. Of course, it was going to be difficult, but that didn't mean that it wasn't important. And deep down, she knew that this was the most gratifying thing she had ever done and probably would ever due. But beyond that. She loved her children. All of them, and she knew that she'd endure anything for them. Stretching again, she looked down at herself, just taking in the changes that she'd undergone in these last serval months. Her once pink skin was rapidly changing into the cyan color that was emblematic of the Klaxosapiens. Not only that, but she was acutely aware of the horns that protruded from her forehead, and as they grew larger, the connection she felt with her babies only seemed to deepen. At times she could even tell what Numa was thinking. But as if she didn't need anymore, more evidence of her change, she noted that her Klaxosapien markings were becoming more prominent.

"I wonder if my babies will have the same markings." She muttered.

Shaking herself out of her musings, however, she stared down into her belly and smiled at her growing babies, making out their tiny little bodies that were just beginning to form. She realized, however, feeling both scared and excited that even though her babies were still small, they were growing extremely quickly. She knew it wouldn't be long until her belly started to bulge and that until her babies were born, it was only going to get bigger.

Just then she became aware of an aching in her breasts and judging by how heavy they felt she knew that Numa was bound to wake up hungry and looking for her attention. With a smile, she looked over at Numa, proud at how far her little girl had come. The once crippled little girl on the verge of death was no more. Her disfigured and malnourished body had started to heal, and she knew that her little girl was on the way to recovery. She couldn't wait for the day when Numa could finally be removed from the tube. But at least for the moment, that reality was still a ways off.

After a few minutes, Numa's eyes fluttered open, and almost immediately swung over to her. She smiled and gently leaned against the tube that held Numa.

"Good morning." She whispered, her horns pulsating with loving energy.

"Mommy…" Numa's faint voice replied.

"How are you feeling this morning." She asked affectionately. "Any better?"

Numa stared uncomprehendingly at her until her focus seemed to shift. Suddenly Naomi had the feeling that someone was staring at her breasts, and with a small chuckle, she got up.

"Come on. Let's get you fed."

She stepped over to a ladder that had been placed alongside the tube, and as she began to climb, she silently thanked Maya for the modification that had been made on her behalf. Gently she climbed onto a small platform at the top and hitting a switch, the top of Nima's tube slowly unsealed itself.

Smiling, she climbed into the tube and submerged herself, gently she pulled Numa into a loving hug, and spent serval long minutes just bonding with her little girl. Slowly they made their way through their morning routine, taking their time to bond, as Naomi gently nurture Numa, back to health.

Nobody disturbed them for hours, and when Maya finally did, Numa was napping peacefully in Naomi's arms, lulled to sleep by the nurturing power of mother's milk.

"Naomi," Maya whispered softly into her head.

She looked up. "Y-Yes." She responded shakily, trying to practice using the telepathic communication that Maya had been teaching her.

Maya smiled. "I have more to teach you today, and I think it'll be beneficial to do it while Numa is asleep."

She nodded and gently let go of Numa climbed out of the tube. Quickly she dried herself off and followed Maya, ready to learn anything and everything that Maya could teach her.

* * *

A long time later, she and Maya sat quietly on the throne room steps, Logos having departed, for some alone time in the destroyed Klaxosaur city. Naomi gently lay back against the steps, thinking over all the things she had been learning. Which, upon further reflection, seemed to be just about everything. Maya seemed to be running her through everything having to do with Klaxosapiens, to the point that she actually understood more about being a Klaxosapien than she ever did about being human. She seemed to be, being trained on how to do everything, and she had the strangest feeling that Maya was trying to pass on all of her knowledge, which was stressful to try and comprehend sometimes. The subject that was by far the most interesting, not to mention the most practical, had to be the coaching on motherhood. Maya seemed determined to cover everything, catching her up to speed about what to expect during her pregnancy, how to go about giving birth _a fascinating but terrifying subject_ , and the part that probably made her the most nervous actually caring for her newborns. She felt overwhelmed with all the attention, that even one would require, and as Maya liked to remind her, she was going to have twelve of them.

"You're doing very well with Numa," Maya said quietly.

"What… Oh.. Um.. Thanks." She stuttered, still lost in her own head.

"It's extraordinary what you've done for her. I never even dreamed that she'd be able to leave that tube, but now." Maya smiled. "Now, it's almost a guarantee."

She sat up and stared at Maya. "She can leave the tube!?"

Maya smiled. "Not quite yet. She still a little weak at the moment. But under your care, I have faith that she will."

"I don't really feel like I've actually done a whole lot." She said, blushing.

"Naomi," Maya said. "You do realize that you saved Numa from certain death, and not only that have healed er broken a crippled body."

"All I did was give her some affection," Naomi said simply.

"No, you did more than that. It takes love to perform miracles like this. Pure unadulterated love."

"Whats a miracle?" Naomi asked, confused by the word.

"When the impossible is made possible," Maya said with a smile.

"I don't get it." She said, still confused.

"Maybe it's better if you don't. Just know that Logos and I are indebted to you more than you'll ever appreciate."

"I think you forget that you're the one that made all this happen." Naomi said reasonably, "I'd be dead if not for you."

"You might owe me your life." Maya said, "But how could that ever compare to the revival of my people. The people I led into war and death will be restored by you. Nothing could ever compare to that."

"Well." She said, shrugging. "I guess you can see it that way. The only concern I have is that they're happy." Then a little ruthfully, she added. "Because if they're not happy, they let me know."

Maya smiled. "Just wait until they grow a little bit more and start kicking inside you."

Naomi grinned. "And twelve of them. Sounds like the beginnings of a party. They could even start their own squad…." Her voice trailed as she reminded that she was still separated from her squadmates; and that even though she had plenty of babies to keep her company, she sometimes missed having people her own age to talk to.

Maya stared at her for a long moment and then sighed. "I'll see what I can do about arranging a meeting with your squadmates."

Her heart leapt into her mouth. "Really!"

Maya nodded. "Yes…. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" She cried, giving Maya a hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Maya smiled. "You're welcome."

"Just promise me, you'll keep doing what you're doing."

Naomi smiled. "You don't need to worry. I love my squadmates, but I am a mother. I don't think it's possible for me to abandon my children. And truth be told. I'm going to worry about Numa the whole time. I'm super excited to see my friends, but leaving my little girl alone is going to be hard."

Maya smiled. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a serval long moments grateful for what they were each doing for each other.

After another few moments Maya broke the silence. "Unfortunately, I can't promise anything sooner than a month away. Dr. Franxx and I will have to do a lot of coordination because I'm unwilling to expose you to any unnecessary risk. I've already lost enough. I won't lose you too."

Naomi's deflated a little bit at the prospect of having to wait a month but understood why it was being done. "I understand."

Maya smiled. "I'm sorry for the wait, but it is necessary. The only silver lining I can offer is that I do have some new information about the squad for you. They've changed quite a bit since you last saw them. And they actually have a new member."

"Really!" She said, surprised. "Who?

"Her name is Zero Two. She became Hiro's partner shortly after you disappeared."

She nodded, feeling a little hurt and resentful that she had been replaced. Shaking herself, she realized that was an unworthy thought. It wasn't fair to start judging Hiro's new partner before she'd even met her. Obviously, there was something special about her if she had managed to pilot with Hiro.

Maya nodded, looking thoughtful. "Anyway. I'll fill you in between now and when we leave. Got to clarify a few things with Dr. Franxx, and they've changed a lot since you last saw them."

Naomi smiled. "Alright, but don't keep me in suspense for too long."

Maya smiled. "I won't."

* * *

(about a month later)

* * *

Hiro and Zero Two sat lying against one of the support beams that had been erected to hold up the watering system for one of the larger garden beds. He and Zero Two had just finished planting carrot seeds in the freshly tilled Earth. So much had happened over the last few weeks, and he felt excited but slightly overwhelmed. For one thing, Zero Two was now officially over two months pregnant. She wasn't showing quite yet, but in their nightly cuddling sessions, he liked to believe that her belly felt a little bit firmer. Unfortunately, Zero Two still tended to have sporadic bouts of morning sickness, which despite her best efforts to assure him, still caused him a great deal of stress.

"I can't wait until they start growing." Zero Two said softly, as they gazed out over the carrot field.

He smiled. She said that every time they planted a new vegetable. The entire squad had spent the last month hard at work, spreading the dirt that the plantation had collected, planting seeds, and building watering systems to nourish said seeds. It had been a month's hard work, but their fortitude was finally paying off, and they' ed been rewarded with the first genuine spouts that had been seen in over a century.

Gently he cupped the base of Zero Two's belly, "I can't wait to you start growing." He whispered playfully in her ear.

Zero Two smiled and gently placed her hands on top of his. "Soon, Darling soon."

They sat quietly for serval long minutes, just basking in the love the three of them shared with each other.

"You change your mind about our baby's gender yet?" He whispered playfully in her ear.

"It's still a boy." She stated firmly. "Right, big guy?" She whispered, stroking her belly.

"Mommy is being mean to you." He said, stroking her belly. "Daddy knows you're really a girl."

"Hey!" Ichigo called, waving from an unplanted field the rest of the squad had been working on.

He and Zero Two practically jumped out of their skins, their hands abandoning Zero Two's belly faster than anyone could comprehend.

"I just got a message from Dr. Franxx; he says that he has a surprise for us, but we need to hurry."

Helping Zero Two to stand, they rushed over to the squad, fervently hoping that nobody had noticed what they had been doing.

"So, what's this surprise about?" He asked when they arrived.

Ichigo shook her head. "I don't know. He just said that it was vital that we meet him in the hangar." She looked down at her communicator and added. "And fast."

"I guess we' ed better get going then," Zorome suggested.

"Probably a good idea," Goro added. "Any objections, Ichigo?"

"Nope."

"Alright, then let's go."

Excited but slightly apprehensive, they briskly made their way back to the main lobby, and then all crowded into an elevator, before departing to the main cargo hangar. Moments later, the elevator stopped with a hiss, and they all spilled out, all mutually surprised to see the main hangar door wide open. On the far side of the hangar, they spotted Dr. Franxx, and so quickly made their way over to him.

"Hello, Dr. Franxx," Ichigo said cordially.

"Good day, to you. I see you've brought the rest of the squad with you."

"Yes, I did. You said you had a surprise for us."

"Yes, I do. And it's something I should have done a long time ago."

"Done what?"

"Everyone." Dr. Franxx announced. "I have something to confess." There was a long pause. "I told you that we never found Naomi that we were never able to recover her. Well, that's not entirely true…."

"Then, where is she!" Ikuno demanded, her voice thick with emotion as her mind went wild with a thousand different scenarios.

Dr. Franxx's communicator beeped, and he looked down at it. He looked up and smiled. "Stay here for the next minute, and you'll find out."

The squad immediately began pestering him with questions and demanded answers, but Dr. Franxx refused to answer them.

Suddenly they all heard a roar, and they stared out the hangar and saw a large black shape flying towards them.

"What is that!?" Zorome screamed, his voice cracking.

"It's a Klaxosaur!" Zero Two shouted, a hand instinctively darting to her belly, as she took a defensive stance.

She was right; a massive Klaxosaur dragon was flying straight at them wings spread wide as it descended towards them.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Ichigo shouted, staring at Dr. Franxx.

"You'll see." Was his simple reply.

Instinctively the squad huddled together, unconsciously hoping that strength in numbers would protect them. Quickly he stood in front of Zero Two, shielding her with his body, protecting both her and their growing baby from any possible harm. With apprehension, they watched as the massive dragon flew closer until, with a deafening crash, it landed roaring its defiance as it stood in the center of the hangar. It was just then that they noticed that two people were riding the dragon, one looking very eager to disembark.

The massive dragon slowly settled down and stared at them with great golden eyes. Somebody with chestnut brown hair quickly slid down the side of the great dragon and began running towards them.

"Naomi!" Ikuno shouted, sobbing as she began running towards the figure.

And a second later, he realized it too. It was Naomi. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was her. The squad watched in stunned silence, mouths wide open, unable to believe who was running towards them.

"Ikuno!" Naomi shouted, waving.

Ikuno didn't even bother instead, crashing into her friend and pulling her into a hug, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Naomi!" Ikuno cried. "You're alive!"

Naomi returned the hug with equal fervor. "Oh, Ikuno it's so good to see you. I've missed you so much!"

"We thought you were dead." Ikuno sobbed.

"Well, I'm not!" Naomi said cheerfully.

"Naomi!" The rest of the squad cried as they all skidded to a halt.

She turned to them a big radiant smile on her face. "It so good to see you all again! How have you guys been."

She stretched her arms out wide to give them all a hug, which they all began to reciprocate until they saw that one of her arms was actually a tentacle, and they all stared horrified rooted to the spot.

Hiro stared at the girl who had once been his partner remembering her chestnut brown hair that perfectly matched her eyes, her helping hands always there to assist whenever he was feeling down. Now, however, one of those hands was gone, replaced with a black tentacle that seemed almost fused to her body. The chestnut brown eyes were gone, replaced with ones that glowed a soft pale blue. As he stared at her, he saw the smile that he had known so well; and although she'd changed, he knew that she was still the same person she had always been.

"Naomi," Ichigo said, horrified. "Wha... What happened to you?"

"Quite a bit actually," Naomi said with a smile.

"No, seriously," Ichigo said, sounding concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am. Believe me; I'm actually better than I was previously."

Just then, a figure appeared behind Naomi, and everyone's eyes widened in shock at the sight of this unknown figure.

"Naomi. Who is that?" Goro asked politely but confused, pointing at the figure who had just appeared behind Naomi.

"This is Maya," Naomi said energetically, turning to the figure. "The Queen of the Klaxosaur's. And she also happens to be the one who saved my life."

"The Klaxosaurs have a queen?" Miku said, shocked.

"Yes, they do," Naomi said with a smile. "Fun tidbit for you. The Klaxosaurs were actually a race of people that…" Naomi glanced at the Queen with a knowing smile. "That used to exist."

"Wait, what?" The squad said shocked.

"Yeah, I know, right." Naomi continued energetically. "I had the same reaction."

Briefly, she launched into an explanation of the Klaxosapiens and what had happened to her that left far more questions than answers in its wake, but none the less they had the cliff note version of things. The Klaxosaur queen kept giving Naomi confused and slightly surprised looks, and he had the funny feeling that Naomi was leaving out parts of the story, that were probably pretty major.

"And basically I'm now one of them. Or I should say, turning into one of them." Naomi finished with a smile.

"What!"

"I'm so confused." Zorome stuttered.

"It's not that complicated," Naomi said teasingly. "Here, I'll try and re-explain."

"Alright." The Klaxosaur Queen interrupted. "I'm going to cut you off before you make anything worse for your friends." The queen turned to them and said. "Hello, my name is Maya, and as Naomi has explained, I am Queen of the Klaxosaurs. I… I apologize for any actions the Klaxosaurs have taken against you. They were a necessary evil up until now."

The squad just stared at her, stunned for serval long moments, but Ichigo was the first to recover. Striding forward, she said. "It's nice to meet you, Maya, my name is Ichigo, The squad and I would like to welcome you to Plantation 13. Currently rebelling against Papa's tyranny."

Maya smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Ichigo. I'm pleased to see that there is still some hope for humanity."

Ichigo and Maya slowly got dragged off into a conversation, and the rest of the squad stood quietly, just listening.

Eventually, however, Naomi broke the silence.

"So, I've really wanted to meet Zero Two," Naomi said, looking around. "I'm curious to know who finally managed to pilot with Hiro."

He and Zero Two stepped forward, and Naomi's eyes went wide as she saw him.

"Hiro!" She said, surprised. "You've changed."

"So have you." He chuckled, then with a more serious tone, he said. "Naomi... I .. I'm sorry… That day at the transport…. I should have done something to save you."

She shook her head. "Hiro. Don't apologize. That day was meant to happen, and I'm glad it did." Her hand drifted to her belly, and he realized that it was the same gesture Zero Two instinctively did with her own belly. "A lot's happened to me, and I wouldn't take back a signal minute of it."

"Naomi…"

She cut him off and turned to face Zero Two. "Now, you must be Zero Two." She extended her hand.

Zero Two smiled and grasped it. "Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you, Naomi. I'll be honest I've been curious about you ever since I found out you used to be Darl… Hiro's partner."

Naomi smiled. "Well, here I am, not much to look at, I'm afraid."

Zero Two shook her head. "On the contrary, You're the most fascinating person I've met. I'd love to hear what happened to you."

"Never mind that, you gotta tell me how you managed to pilot with Hiro. I've been dying to know. I spent years trying to crack that nut case, and he never budged." She smiled playfully. "Although maybe its the fact that you're so damned gorgeous, you're like the perfect example of everything a guy could want."

Zero Two blushed. "No, I'm just the freak that happened to find the perfect guy." She gestured at her horns. "Not exactly what most people are looking for."

"But he was though," Naomi said with a smile. "Maybe that's the secret. Naomi gestured up at the little horn protruding from her head. "Maybe I could have managed if I'd had these."

Zero Two smiled. "No, I'm afraid I sabotaged his chances of piloting with anyone else but me. When we were little, he ingested some of my blood, and I think it might have kept him from piloting with anyone else. I uh. I apologize for any hardship that's caused you."

Naomi shook her head. "Don't be. As I said to Hiro, I wouldn't change a signal minute of the things that happened to me." She paused and then resumed. "I didn't know you guys had a history together, when did you guys meet?"

"Right around the time that Mitsuru got his injection," Hiro interjected.

"Really?" Naomi said, surprised. "Where were you all this time?"

"Our memories were wiped." Hiro explained, "We did some rebellious things at the time, and we got punished for it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Naomi said sincerely. "That must have been hard…" She thought for a moment. "Is that why you could never really sync with me? You knew that there was somebody who you cared about, but couldn't be with?"

He blushed. "Probably… And again, I apologize, that's not fair to you…"

Naomi held up her hand. "Hiro, don't apologize, because I completely understand. I know what it feels like to love that deeply, and I couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose the ones that I love."

"Naomi." He said, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Just then, he noticed a strange smell that hung around Naomi. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason, when he glanced over Naomi again, his eyes paused on where her belly would be, and he noticed, feeling his cheeks warming, that her breasts were larger than he remembered.

She took a deep breath. "I haven't been totally honest with everyone, and I left out a major part of the story. The reason I was taken to the home of the Klaxosapiens and why I am now becoming one."

Naomi grabbed the bottom of the tunic she was wearing and pulled it up, revealing her belly, which was covered with transparent skin, and a moment later he realize that their were serval small humanoid type things inside her. With a big smile Naomi showed the entire squad, and everyone stared open mouthed at her.

"Naomi…" He said stunned. "What happened to you.

Naomi smiled, looking down at her belly. "I'm… I'm pregnant with the last remaining Klaxosapiens."

"Pregnant," Ikuno whispered.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute." Ichigo stuttered, lost for words. "You're telling me that those things inside you are Klaxosapiens?"

Naomi nodded. "Yep. And I don't know if you guys can see but, you can actually make out little faces if you look close enough."

Predictably everyone leaned forward, and Naomi blushed scarlet as all her friends all at once started encroaching on her personal space. "Um, guys…" She stuttered flustered. "A little space, please."

"Oh, sorry." They all said hurriedly.

"Naomi," Ikuno said after a moment. "When did this happen? And who…you know got you pregnant?"

Naomi thought for a moment. "Hmm... To my knowledge, soon after I arrived. As too how I got pregnant, its a little complicated, since there isn't a living male Klaxosapien." Briefly, Naomi explained what had happened to her, though Hiro thought that she might be leaving parts of it out and stretching the truth a bit, due to the odd glance Naomi shot at Maya.

"But why couldn't the other children grow properly," Ikuno asked after Naomi had finished.

Naomi shrugged and looked at Maya, who only shook her head. "I don't know why." She glanced at Dr. Franxx. "Maybe Dr. Franxx could help you. He's the only one who's managed to clone a Klaxosapien."

"He has?" Zero Two injected sounding surprised.

Dr. Franxx only shook his head. "I didn't really clone anything. All I created was a hybrid."

"You did? Who are they and why haven't I seen them."

Dr. Franxx sighed. "Of course, you haven't. Zero Two, you are that hybrid."

Zero Two look thoroughly confused. "But you said that I'm a combination of Klaxosaur and human DNA."

Dr. Franxx sighed. "I know I did, but thats not entirely the truth. The truth is that you're a combination of Klaxosapien and human DNA. The queen is the genetic sample I took to create you Zero Two." Dr. Franxx said, then taking a deep breath, he added. "To be exact. You are the combination of both mine and The Queen's DNA."

Zero Two stared at them, stunned. "So.. So does that make you my…."

Dr. Franxx nodded. "Yes, I am your father, and Maya is your mother."

To everyone's surprise, Maya shook her head. "No.. Just because she has my genes doesn't make me her mother." Maya looked at Zero Two. "I was never there for you… I don't deserve that title. I pray that when you have a child of your own, you don't make that same mistake…" Just as Maya finished, her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to be studying Zero Two.

Everyone was silent for a few moments, but eventually, Naomi broke the silence. We'll Zero Two if you ever get pregnant, try not to get impregnated with twelve children at once."

"Twelve.." Ikuno spluttered. "How in the world can you carry that many?"

Naomi laughed and launched into a jovial explanation of her unique pregnancy and about baby Klaxosapiens.

While everyone was distracted, Maya stared at Zero Two, and without opening her mouth said. "You are with child, aren't you."

Both he and Zero Two stiffened, unaccustomed to having somebody speaking directly into their minds. Quickly he looked around to see if anybody else had heard, but it seemed the queen's message was directed solely at them.

Zero Two nodded, blushing.

"I'm assuming he's the father?" Maya said, glancing over at him.

Again Zero Two nodded and gently slipped her hand into his.

"Does he know?" Maya said, nodding in the direction of Dr. Franxx.

Zero Two shook her head.

Maya smiled and said, almost wistfully. "To be young again….. Well, take good care of your little one. It'll be your most beloved treasure." And with a wink, she added. "And I'm sure it won't be your last."

Both he and Zero Two were very red in the face by then. Astounded by how the queen knew that Zero Two was carrying their baby and at the fact that they'd just had a secret conversation right under everyone's noses.

"How did you know?" Zero Two mouthed.

Maya frowned. "Did you just ask how did I know?"

Zero Two nodded.

Maya chuckled softly. "I guess you'd have no reason to know, so I'll let you in on the secret. Just like a Klaxosapien, your body is pumping out a very specific pregnancy pheromone that is designed to stimulate your mate, making him protective of you during your pregnancy."

He and Zero Two looked at each other, and Zero Two flushed scarlet and looked away embarrassed.

Maya continued speaking. "I and other Klaxosapiens can smell it, and although it doesn't stimulate the same response as it does for Hiro, it lets us know that you're pregnant. Naomi is releasing a similar pheromone, that you can pick up if you pay close enough attention."

"Is something going on over here?" Ichigo asked, interrupting. "Both of you are red in the face."

Both he and Zero Two opened their mouths to try and say something and then closed them unsure how to explain what had just happened.

"Maya can talk to people with her mind," Naomi interjected with a small smile. "I'm sure she's been talking to them for the last serval minutes without us even noticing."

"She can do that?" Goro said, sounding amazed.

"Yes, I can," Maya said, speaking directly into everyone's mind.

The entire squad instinctively flinched, and then realizing nothing was wrong stared around in amazement.

"Wow," Ichigo commented. "That's such a weird sensation."

"Oh yeah, it's definitely disconcerting," Naomi said, chuckling. "And in some ways, its way beyond freaky."

Maya looked sidelong at Naomi and said aloud. "Says the person who can also do it."

"What, really?" Ikuno said, amazed. "You can do that too?"

Naomi laughed. "No, not really."

"Yes, you can." Maya countered.

"I've only really ever done it with you, and you're a master at it," Naomi explained.

"Well, nows a good learning opportunity. Try it on them."

Naomi looked at the squad uncertainly, but they all stood patiently waiting for her to try it. She sighed and then straining herself, stared directly at them, and said, "Hi," without moving her lips.

The squad gasped in amazement and congratulated Naomi on her achievement, watching as her cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment.

The atmosphere in the hangar remained lively as everyone exchanged stories of what had happened when they were apart. Eventually, Ichigo invited Maya and Naomi to return to Mistleteinn with them, and with smiles, they both agreed.

Devastatingly, however, an alarmed blasted, the sound deafening as it echoed around the walls of the hangar. Dr. Franxx's communicator immediately began ringing, and everyone gave a jerk of surprise from all the noise they were being assaulted with.

Dr. Franxx whipped out his communicator. "Hachi, what is going on?"

"Sir," Hachi said calmly but with a note of urgency. "Plantations 90 and 55 are bearing down on us, and have already deployed their FRANXX squadrons in attack formations."

"How did they sneak upon us? We're hooked into APE's database, right?"

"We are, Sir. Their transponders just came online a few minutes ago."

Dr. Franxx gritted his teeth. "How long until they make contact?"

"The squads will be in striking distance within the next fifteen minutes; the Plantations are still an hour out."

Dr. Franxx looked at them. "Squad 13 prepare to sortie. We must repel this attack."

"Roger!" They all shouted.

"Come," Maya said, grabbing Naomi's arm. "We need to get out of here."

"But." Naomi protested. "We only just reunited, I can't leave now."

"We have to," Maya said, panic starting to creep into her voice. "I should have never taken you here in the first place. You and the babies are far too exposed."

"No!" Naomi protested. "I can't just run away while my friends are in danger. I'll never forgive myself if one of them dies for me."

Ikuno broke away from the group and hugged her friend. "You should go Naomi."

"But." Naomi protested, sounding hurt.

Ikuno slid her hand beneath Naomi's tunic and placed a hand on her pregnant belly, which made Naomi jump. Tenderly she whispered. "I'm so jealous… I've wanted a baby since the moment I found out about it, but you're actually pregnant with them."

Naomi blushed. "Ikuno, I don't know if this is the time…"

Ikuno gently removed her hand. "I can't allow you to get hurt. It pains me to have to see you go, but I never could deal with the thought of you being dead, and I'll kill myself if that becomes a reality."

"Ikuno, don't…"

"Shh… Please, Naomi. Please fulfill my selfish request. Get yourself to safety, because the next time we meet, I want you to tell me all about what it's like being pregnant. Would you do that for me?"

"Ikuno I…" Naomi stuttered, blushing.

Naomi looked up at the squad, her eyes wide with indecision, the friendship with her friends fighting what she knew was right.

Slowly the squad nodded, and all agreed with Maya that she should go and protect herself and her babies.

"Naomi!" Zero Two called, from where she was standing beside Hiro. "I know we didn't really get to know each other all that well, but I hope we can be friends in the future. I'm sure you have some interesting stories about Hiro, that I'd love to hear."

Naomi smiled, "Yeah, sure. Take good care of him for me, to be honest; he doesn't do very well on his own."

Dr. Franxx chimed in. "I'm sure the Queen and I can find a way for you to connect with the squad more regularly."

Naomi smiled. "I'd appreciate that."

"So, will you go now?" Ikuno said quietly.

Naomi took a deep breath. "Yes. And the next time we meet, I promise to give you every little detail about my pregnancy experience so far."

Ikuno smiled, her warm olive eyes fill with warmth. And then suddenly, Ikuno leaned forward and kissed her, soft lips imparting her with a gift of tender love from her dearest friend.

Ikuno back away, blushing and then ran back towards the squad as she stood rooted to the spot, still reveling in the fact that she had just had her first kiss.

"Naomi." Maya said, breaking her out of her trance, "We need to go."

They all watched as the queen led Naomi away, the separation from their friends after so long, weighing heavy on their hearts, but yet the knowledge that both she and the babies she was caring would be safe, was enough for them to take solace in. The watched smiling and waving as Naomi and Maya mounted the dragon.

"Dr. Franxx!" The Queen called. "You still have that experimental energy shield I set you awhile back, right?"

Dr. Franxx thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, I do!"

"Well, if you can, you should install it. It'll protect the Plantation, at least for a little while. And especially since you stripped the plantation of its armor, it may help!"

"Of course, and thanks again!" Dr. Franxx shouted back. "Have a safe trip!"

"Goodbye!" Naomi cried, waving. "I promise I'll come, see you guys soon!"

"Bye!" They all cried.

The massive dragon roared and then turned around, with a leap that made the whole plantation shake, it flew off into the air, Naomi and the Klaxosaur queen disappearing in moments beyond the horizon.

"Alright, squad, let's go!" Ichigo commanded, turning towards the elevators. "We've got a job to do."

The squad got dressed at breakneck speed, and within less than five minutes, they were all running along the walkway to their FRANXXs.

He and Zero Two grasped hands as they ran towards Strelizia, her faceplate already descending as they got closer. Charging through the hatch they slipped into their seats, and Zero Two deployed the controls for him. Grabbing them, he watched as their sync rate soared to the max, and he felt Strelizia come alive around him. He and Zero Two's consciousness merged, and he felt like he was Strelizia; no longer was he guiding Zero Two as she controlled the mech. They worked together as one. Just then, he became aware of a presence nestled in what felt like his pelvis, and realize with a smile that it was their baby. Gently he delved into Zero Two's presence and felt as her body gently sent loving nurturing energy to the baby inside her.

"Darling." Zero Two's voice said sweetly.

He smiled. "I know… Now's not the time."

Gently he backed out a little bit and brought his attention back to the present, reaching down he grabbed Strelizia's magma lance and waited for the other members of the squad, as he did his best to accustom himself to the feeling of having the baby nestled inside him.

"It's a weird feeling, isn't it," Zero Two said quietly.

"You mean the baby?"

"Yeah." She said quietly. "Ever since I knew I was pregnant, I've always been faintly aware of the baby, but I'll admit I've never experienced anything quite like this."

Before he had a chance to respond, Ichigo called. "Everyone ready."

"Ready!" They all shouted.

The hangar doors opened with a loud hiss, and when they had fully retracted, Ichigo shouted. "Launch!"

The squad charged out of the hangar and off towards the attacking squadrons.

"Hiro!" Ichigo called "Get into the air I need eyes in the sky."

"Roger!"

Strelizia leaped into the air, and they flew off soaring into the sky as they climbed, however, he felt Strelizia's altitude sag a little bit, and he realized that the sensation of the baby was throwing off his instincts by just a little bit. Noticing the change, he did his best to compensate.

As they soar higher, he spotted the enemy squads, watching as eight enemy FRANXXs boar down on Squad 13, the squads angled to converge right at the point of impact.

"They're converging on your position Ichigo!" He reported,

"Squad 13!" Ichigo commanded. "Split up."

He watched as Squad 13 scattered shooting off in different directions, turning his attention back to the enemy he watched as they too split up.

"They're breaking up too." He reported. "It looks like you each got two apiece."

"Understood," Goro said, smiling. "Wait a little bit before you engage."

He watched carefully, looking for an opening, and he spotted it, turning he dived for one of the enemy FRANXX closing in on Mitsuru and Kokoro. The enemy FRANXX barely managed to throw itself out of the way and crashed to the dirt dust rising in a shock wave around them as they landed. The enemy disparate to recover, shot the polearms tip at him, and he spun to the side, mercilessly he jumped into the air and came down on the enemy FRANXX driving Strelizia's magma lance through the FRANXX's core, destroying it instantly.

Hiro gulped as he processed the gravity of what he had just done, realizing that he had just ended someone's life. It didn't matter that they had been corrupted by Papa; it was still a person he had just killed. However, as he stepped away from the wreckage, he felt the baby's presence again and reminded himself what really mattered. In this moment, he had to decide what mattered to him most, and what he was willing to sacrifice to get it. And as he felt Zero Two's presence all around him and felt their baby nestled inside her, he knew he had his answer.

He took a deep breath and stared at the enemy FRANXX that was still rushing towards Mitsuru. Carefully he lined up his trajectory and then fired Strelizia's thrusters into full gear. Strelizia flew, and its lance tore through the FRANXX like butter, and he watched as the top half of the FRANXX spun off high into the air. As he watched Genista fired a bolt of magma at the FRANXX and the last of it disintegrated into a million tiny pieces.

"Thanks for the assist," Kokoro said, sounding relieved.

"Let's go help the others," Mitsuru said, turning Genista towards the other members of squad thirteen.

With a nod, he and Zero Two sped off to assist the other members of squad 13. Within a matter of moments, they'd caught up to Argentea, Zorome, and Miku battling two enemy FRANXXs at the same time. And that's when he noticed it. One of the FRANXX was holding a different weapon then the standard FRANXX was equipped with. Horrified, he realized that one of Argentea's legs had a cord wrapped around it and that one of the FRANXX kept pulling on it, causing Argentea to stumble. And every time that happened, the second FRANXX would seize the opportunity to attack, Zorome's skill only barely managing to keep him and Miku alive as they barely dodged those fatal attacks.

"We really need some help!" Miku shouted over the comms panic obvious in her voice.

"We're coming!" Zero Two replied. "Just hold on!"

Strelizia's lance slammed into the FRANXX holding Argentea the force of the blow sending the FRANXX flying through the air. Disastrously the force of the blow tugged violently on the cord wrapped around Argentea's leg, and Argentea sprawled helplessly on the ground. The second FRANXX seizing the advantage leaped into the air magma pike aimed perfectly for a killing blow.

"No!"

Desperately he swung Strelizia around, watching in slow motion as the pike's tip dived for Argentea's exposed chest. However, moments before the impact, Zorome barely managed to roll out of the way, and the pike buried itself into the Earth's red surface with a small cloud of dust. Desperately the FRANXX pulled at the pike trying to get it free, but Argentea delivered a deadly uppercut, magma claws shearing the FRANXX's head clean off.

He let out a sigh of relief but then was forced to jerk to the side as the FRANXX that he thought he had destroyed fired its binding cord at them. Before it could capture them, however, he dodged and managed to grab it out of mid-air. Raising Strelizia's lance, he aimed at the FRANXX, lying crippled on the ground, but still putting up a brave fight. Strelizia's targeting computer beeped as he locked on, and with all the force he could muster, he threw the spear straight at the FRANXX, and this time he hit the core, and the FRANXX exploded in a fireball.

With a yank on the magma lance's hose, it returned to him, and he hurried over to Argentea and gave Zorome and Miku a helping hand.

"Thanks," Miku said, sounding relieved. "I thought we were goners for sure."

"No problem." He said equally as relieved. "Have you ever seen a FRANXX with that type of weapon before?"

"No. I thought that all FRANXX came with the magma pike, but maybe we're mistaken."

Zero Two shook her head. "I don't think so. I have the strangest feeling that these are new. That weapon was designed to trap a FRANXX."

They all looked at each other. The thought that Papa was developing weapons specifically to hunt them down weighing heavy on their minds. After another moment, they departed, setting off to assist the rest of their squadmates.

They came across Chlorophytum first, Futoshi, and Ikuno ducking behind cover while harassing the enemy with a hail of magma bullets. Hiro was impressed by their level of skill they showed surprised at how in sync they were. He' ed never seen Chlorophytum move like that before. Ikuno and Futoshi had even managed to pick off one of the standard enemy FRANXX, but they were still struggling to destroy the second, and he realized that this FRANXX also had a new weapon. One of its arms had a gun very similar to Chlorophytum's, which the enemy was using to keep Chlorophytum pinned down.

"Hiro, go help, Ichigo!" Zorome shouted, "I'll finish up here."

He nodded. "Roger."

With a surge of speed, He zoomed off towards Delphinium, only to find two destroyed FRANXXs lying on the ground, Delphinium, standing over them, her faceplate blackened from being too close to an explosion.

"You two, alright?" He called down.

"Yeah, we're alright," Ichigo responded with a wince. "Just got to close to an explosion."

He nodded. "Well, I'm glad you guys are okay. Did you guys have to deal with any new weapons?"

She nodded. "Yes, one of them had a sword. Why has anyone else had to deal with new weapons."

"Yeah, just about everybody." He replied. "And from what I can tell, they seem to be designed specifically to destroy FRANXX."

"Great…" Ichigo said with an annoyed sighed.

Serval minutes later, the rest of the squad arrived, looking shaken but unharmed.

"Is everyone doing alright?" Ichigo asked.

Everyone nodded confirmation that they were unharmed.

"Is it just me, or does it feel like that those FRANXXs had weapons designed to hunt FRANXXs," Miku stated. "I've never seen anything like them before."

"I think you're right," Futoshi replied,

Ichigo shook her head in frustration. "Damn it. Papa must have found out that we've rebelled, and is trying to hunt us down." She gave the squad a serious look. "We're going to need to be more careful from now on."

"Agreed," Goro said with a nod. "We need to have a team meeting about our strategy moving forward. We can't be this disorganized when the next attack hits."

A moment later, Plantation 13's command comm hail, appeared before them, and Nana's face flashed up into view. "Good work, Squad 13," Nana said with a smile. "Plantation 90 and 55 are retreating, and you've bought Plantation 13 some safety for the moment."

"We're only doing our job Ma'am," Ichigo replied.

Nana smiled. "Well, you did a fantastic job. You're all free to return home."

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Thank you for reading Chapter 20 of The Jian Bird.

Thank you for still sticking with this story after all this time. Moving forward I would like to make a new commitment; I'm going to try release chapters monthly again, so holly the wait won't be as long.

Thank you all for your continued support

Stay tuned for Chapter 21 of The Jian Bird: Steps Forward


	21. Chapter 21: Love and Repentance

Hiro's vision snapped back into focus as he powered down Strelizia, and his and Zero Two's conciseness separated. With a groan, he stretched. It had been a long three hours, and he was glad he had the rest of the day off. He and Zero Two had just got back from patrolling the surrounding area for any signs of Papa's forces. Over the past month, Papa had been sending FRANXXs after Plantation 13, and it was essential that they took out these forces before they could really threaten the Plantation. Thankfully they'd only had to deal with small FRANXX squads, but that didn't diminish the threat they posed. And Hiro was all too aware that Zero Two became more and more vulnerable the further her pregnancy progressed.

"I'm glad that's over." Zero Two said, as she disengaged herself from Strelizia's controls and stood up stretching.

He smiled. "We'll have to do it again tomorrow."

She sniffed in amusement. "Allow me, my fantasies."

He smiled as he stared at Zero Two, the bulge of her pregnant belly visible now that she was three months pregnant. Zero Two noticing him, smiled and turned profile to him, gently cupping her belly. He chuckled softly. She knew that he loved it when she did that. Standing up, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and then gently placed a hand on her swollen belly.

"I can't believe they haven't noticed yet." She said softly.

With a smile, he shrugged. "Nobody has seen a pregnant person in over a hundred years, plus nobody knows that we had sex."

She shrugged. "I guess you're right, plus we've been doing our best to hide it."

He hummed softly and gently knelt to give her belly a kiss. "I just can't wait until our little one is born. I wanna see her and hold her in my arms so bad."

"It can wait." She said with a smile. "I wanna be pregnant with baby Hiro for a little while longer."

He chuckled and shook his head. "We are never going to agree on this." He said with a sigh.

"Probably not." She giggled

"Well, whatever gender it ends up being, I'll love it all the same."

She smiled warmly, "And that's why you're my Darling."

He chuckled and stood up, holding his hand out for his princess. "Well, what does my lady desire today."

"Oh, stop it." She said, playfully slapping his hand away. Then in a more serious tone, she asked. "Say, Darling. Is there anything we have to do today, I'm pretty sure our schedule is free for the rest of the day."

He nodded. "I don't think so. Ichigo and Goro have patrol this afternoon. Unless there's a surprise raid, I don't foresee anything that would drag us away from Mistleteinn."

Zero Two yawned and stretched. "Good because I think I need a quiet afternoon."

"Then, we should return to Mistleteinn." He said with a smile, holding out his hand again.

Zero Two shook her head but allowed him to take her hand. "Alright then, let's go."

* * *

Ikuno sat idly on the couch absentmindedly reading as the rest of the squad hung out and did… Whatever. She scrolled threw a few pages of the book she was reading on her communicator. Kind of bored of reading about electricity. As her eyes scanned her communicator screen, she saw that she had a message. It was from Naomi. With a smile, she tapped on it. As she watched the message load, she inwardly thanked Dr. Franxx for going to the effort of hooking all this up. Dr. Franxx had tried to get a holoprojector to work so that they could interact with Naomi, but unfortunately, the only thing that worked without bugging out was simple messaging.

As the message loaded, she saw an image of what looked like liquid magma in a basin. Curious, she read the accompanying message. "I hope your breakfast was more appetizing than this."

With a smile, she texted back. "Is that magma energy?"

A few moments later, she got her reply. "Yes, and it's tasteless beyond all compare."

"So why drink it?"

"Because Klaxosapiens need it to survive. And I'm dining for thirteen other people at the moment."

"Thirteen?"

"Sorry, I meant twelve." Came the hurried reply.

"How are you managing so far?"

"Fine. They don't do much, except for making me really hungry."

"I can imagine."

Naomi's reply took serval long minutes to get back to her, "Hey, sorry Ikuno, I have to go. Can I talk to you later?"

"Of course." Then her heart thudding in her chest she typed. "I love you."

This time the reply was instant. "I love you too."

Putting her communicator away, she looked up in time to see Hiro and Zero Two arriving back from their morning patrol.

"Find anything?" Goro called over in an amused tone.

"Yeah!" Hiro called back. "A massive army as far as the eye can see."

"Fascinating." Goro laughed. "Everyone prepare to sortie."

Zero Two shook her head and sat down on the couch next to her. Letting out a massive sigh of relief.

"You alright?" She asked kindly.

Zero Two sighed. "Yeah I'm fine, my back is just killing me."

Hiro, who had been joking a moment before jerked his head around and devoted all of his attention to his partner. "Is there something I can do?"

Zero Two shook her head. "No, it's okay. Probably just tweaked it, that's all."

"You know hot water, I find it helps me when I'm in pain." She suggested.

Zero Two smiled and was about to something when.

"Then let's have an all-girls bath!' Miku interjected energetically. "We girls need some girl time away from these things…" She gestured solely at Zorome as she said this.

"Hey! Nobody said that dealing with you wasn't a chore." Zorome fired back.

"You wanna know what. That sounds like a nice idea." Zero Two said more to head off the bickering that was about to come then having any real desire to hang out in the tube. Zero Two stood up and began to make her way over to the bathroom before anybody else made a move.

Hurriedly the rest of the girls got up to follow her, but before they all disappeared, Ichigo turned back to the boys. "If one of you guys peeks, I'll kill all of you." She said with an accusing finger.

"Yes, Ma'am." They all said, stiffening, knowing that Ichigo didn't make idol threats.

Ichigo smirked, "Enjoy the couches." She said with a wave.

As they all began to undress, everyone managed to get out of their clothes fairly quickly, but she noticed that it was taking Zero Two noticeably longer than everyone else. But eventually, she did manage it, and they all jumped into the tub, Ichigo having already turned on the hot water.

Everyone chatted merrily and had fun laughing and joking. Ikuno, however, didn't join in the other merriment, instead quietly studying Zero Two. Something was up, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The girl was hiding something… But what?

Ikuno's eyes drifted over Zero Two's body, noting her darkened nipples and crotch. She stared at Zero Two. Something was screaming at her to realize something. Zero Two stood up and turned to walk across the tub, and the bulge of Zero Two's belly accentuated itself as she turned profile to Ikuno, and instantly the answer became obvious.

She gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth.

Everyone's eyes swung to her, concern and curiosity written all over their faces.

"What is it, Ikuno?" Ichigo said, sounding concerned.

"Zero Two," Ikuno said open-mouthed. "Are you pregnant?"

Zero Two flushed scarlet, and instantly everyone's eyes swung to her. They all stared at her waiting to hear the truth.

After a moment, Zero Two smiled and placed a hand on her belly. "Yes, I am."

"I knew it!" Ichigo shouted triumphantly.

Immediately, the bathroom irrupted, with chatter for the rest of the squad, questions, and gasps of surprise, prevalent on everyone's lips.

"How far along are you!?" Miku managed to get through.

"Three months." Zero Two said with a smile.

"Three months!" Miku gasped. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Zero Two chuckled. "I wanted to see how long it would take you guys to notice."

"Does Hiro know?" Kokoro asked.

Zero Two smiled ruefully. "Oh, he knows alright. Hardly thinks about anything else."

"Do you know what gender the baby is," Ikuno questioned.

"I'm convinced it's a boy." Zero Two said. "But Darling is adamant that it's a girl."

The girls stared at her in awe.

"I still can't believe that you're pregnant," Miku said, sounding blown away.

Ichigo just gave a smug smile and leaned back, not surprised in the very least.

"Hey, Ichigo." Zero Two said after a few moments. "You said that you knew I was pregnant. How did you find out?"

Ichigo smiled. "To anyone who knows Hiro, he isn't exactly subtle. I think he tried to hide it, but he won't let you out of his sight for more than a few minutes. Which is unusual even for him. That, combined with a few glimpses of him holding your belly, lead me to suspect that you might be pregnant." And with a triumphant smile, she added. "And I was right!"

Zero Two smiled warmly. "I knew it'd be Darling who gave it away."

"All be honest thou," Ichigo said with a smile. "It's really sweet watching him run around being super protective of you. It shows that he really cares, and I'm sure that he's beyond excited about the baby."

"I love him so much." Zero Two said sweetly, "He's so supportive and caring. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without him." She paused for a moment. "You know when you find somebody that perfect, you can't help but want to have a child with them. When they love you that much, having the privilege to manifest that love is truly something special." She chuckled softly. "You know, sometimes I think back to the moment that he rescued me. It's so interesting to think that one day I'd be carrying that boy's baby." She sighed, "I don't know, I can't be the only person who's ever thought that thought."

Zero Two blushed and suddenly went very quiet, realizing that she'd been rambling.

The rest of the girls just sat and listened mesmerized. And the silence was so palpable around them you could slice a knife through it.

Suddenly Ichigo's communicator beeped, and the silence was broken.

"That's probably Goro saying I gotta leave soon," Ichigo said with a sigh.

The rest of the girls seemed to jerk back into reality, the spell of Zero Two's confession broken by the fact that Ichigo had to go out and possibly brave the dangers of Papa's forces.

Ichigo jumped out of the tube and waved to them. "Alright, well, I'll see you guys later."

"See you later, Ichigo." They all called back, waving. "And good luck out there."

Once Ichigo had left, conversation quietly resumed, but Zero Two just sat quietly. After another few minutes, she got out of the tub and went to the changing rooms to get dressed. Ikuno immediately got up and followed her. She'd been curious about pregnancy and child-raising for so long, and the chance to have a conversation with somebody who was currently pregnant was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

Zero Two began to dry herself off, and hurriedly she pretended to do the same. Desperately she looked for an opening to ask her questions without being too obvious.

"You finished too?" Zero Two chatted as she slowly began to dry her beautiful pink hair.

"Yeah, idle chatting isn't really my thing."

"I noticed that." Zero Two said with a smile, "That's probably why you're so observant."

She shook her head. "Not really."

Zero Two smiled. "Well you're the first person to notice I was pregnant."

She blushed, "That just because I knew what to look for. And your belly kind of gave it away."

Zero Two smiled. "I guess you're right, it's kind of hard to hide a second person inside you."

Ikuno felt her heart hammering in her chest. She just had to ask the question. She just had too. "Zero Two." She blurted. "Um… I wanted to know.. W-What does it feel like to be pregnant?"

Zero Two smiled, and she could see the warmth in Zero Two's eyes."Amazing. I never felt anything like it. Just knowing that you're nurturing a life inside you and that within months it'll come into the world and be somebody you love unconditionally." Zero Two beamed, and Ikuno could practically feel the love and joy radiating off her. "It is truly something beyond words."

"That sounds wonderful," Ikuno said, almost longingly.

"It really is." Zero Two beamed. "And the fact that you conceive a child by bonding with the person you love most." Zero Two shivered. "I love that fact so much."

"What was it like?" Ikuno asked after a moment. "The night you and Hiro…"

Zero Two smiled. "Amazing. The sense of bonding we felt was an experience I'll never forget."

"And were you trying to get pregnant?"

Zero Two nodded a huge smile on her face. "Yes… The moment Darling and I found out that we could make a child, we couldn't help ourselves."

"That night?" Ikuno said, sounding surprised. "You didn't want to find out more before trying?"

Zero Two blushed. "That thought never even crossed my mind. I just wanted him in me as soon as possible. I'll admit that I really got caught up in the idea of creating life by connecting with the person I love the most."

"He really means that much to you," Ikuno said softly.

"He means everything to me."

Ikuno thought for a moment. "Does… Does it have to be that way in order to conceive?"

"Ikuno," Zero Two said with a playful smile. "Are you wanting to have a baby?"

She flushed scarlet, "I do…" She whispered. "It sounds like such an amazing experience."

"It is… And it's not overly difficult of a process to start." Zero Two smiled. "And the boys don't need much convincing. If you really wanna take that step, Ikuno. Why don't you ask Futoshi if he'll... You know…"

Ikuno hesitated for a moment. "My problem is however, that I don't really like boys. It's not that I don't like them as friends, but I don't find any of them attractive."

Zero Two looked puzzled at her confession, but ignoring her personal views understood Ikuno's dilemma. "I see… So, it might be hard for you to be intimate with Futoshi if you don't find him attractive."

Ikuno nodded. "I don't suppose you know of a different way of getting pregnant?"

Zero Two shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't help you. I wish there was something I could do, but…"

Ikuno smiled and finished getting dressed. "It's alright. I'll try to find my own way. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Well… If you have questions, I'll be happy to share my experience." Zero two offered.

Ikuno smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Zero Two gave her a warm smile and then turned to finish putting on her uniform. Ikuno watched as Zero Two shrugged to make it fit, watching the uniform budged around her belly, and got stuck, as Zero Two tried to zip it around her swollen breasts.

"Zero Two, you can't wear that anymore," Ikuno stated, as she watched Zero Two continue to struggle.

"This is the only type of uniform I have."

Ikuno shook her head. "Zero Two, this isn't going to work anymore. You're pregnant now, you won't be able to um… "fit" into that for much longer."

"Well, I don't know what I'm going to do about it. It's not like I have anything bigger."

"Zero Two, you are going to have to ask the administrators to get you some maternity clothing. There's no way even a five-month pregnant belly is going to fit under that. You need new clothes."

Finally, Zero Two managed to zip up the uniform, but after running a hand over her belly, she let out a sigh. "I guess you're right. I don't know why I thought that I was going to manage to fit into this while pregnant. I'll put in a request."

Ikuno smiled. "They're going to be so surprised."

"Oh, I'm sure." Zero Two chuckled. "That's why I'm too lazy and go and do it now."

"Well worse case scenario, you can have Hiro make you some. He'll do just about anything for you."

"Maybe I'll get him to give me a massage." Zero Two groaned, cracking her back,

She nodded. "I'm sure he'd love to."

"Well then I guess I'm go convince him." Zero Two chuckled turning towards the door.

Ikuno chucked, as she watched Zero Two leave, smiling as she noticed the slight waddle Zero Two walked with. Then quietly she added. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to be you."

* * *

Naomi sat down on the edge of the bed, having returned from having her first-morning meal of magma energy. She yawned, knowing that her growing babies would make her hungry again in another few hours. As she sat there, she felt the heaviness of her swollen breasts and knew it would soon be time to feed Numa. She glanced over at her little girl, who was still fast asleep. As she stared at her little girl, a sudden desire came over her. Maya had shown her video after video about how to take care of a baby, and she felt a sudden desire to put that all into practice. Reaching over to her bedside table, she grabbed what looked like a sheet of glass, but as her finger touched it, the display lit up. Carefully she reviewed all the knowledge that she had been taught about caring for children. Then when she felt like she was ready, she set the tablet down and took a deep breath.

Then closing her eyes, she connected her conscience with Maya and Logos and said. "Maya. Logos. Would both of you please come to the cloning chamber."

Logos was the first to arrive, looking calm but inquisitive. "Naomi." He said softly, slithering up to her. "How can I help you?"

She smiled. "I want to wait until Maya gets here." She said softly.

He nodded respectfully. "Very well."

For the next few minutes, both she and Logos chatted idly, waiting for Maya to arrive. When she did, she seemed preoccupied and deep in thought, but then suddenly, she seemed to realize where she was, and concern flashed across her face.

"Did something happen?" She asked nervously.

Naomi shook her head. "No… No, that's not why I called you here." She took another deep breath. "I have a…. A request." She paused, and Maya and Logos watched her with bated breath. "I want to take Numa out of the cloning tube."

They both stared at her in stunned silence.

"Do you believe she's really ready for that," Maya said, sounding scared. "I know that I said she could leave the tube someday, but Naomi, it might still be too early."

Naomi shook her head. "I don't think so. I feel like her healing process is slowing down."

"How so?" Logos asked politely.

Naomi looked over at Numa. "The first time I held her and bonded with her, I felt all her pain, I got to experience what it was like to live in her deformed body." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It has taken me months to reverse all that damage. I don't know how I did it but, her deformities are gone, and she's getting healthier every day. But… I feel like she's reaching a plateau. The cloning fluid is making it difficult for her muscles to strengthen."

Logos nodded thoughtfully. "The fluid is supporting all her weight, she's not forced to support herself."

"But she may still be too weak to survive out here on her own." Maya protested.

"I don't think so," Naomi said, still not taking her eyes off her daughter. "Numa is a fighter. She's ready for this."

Maya closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, looking like she was praying. And after a few minutes looking up at her. "Very well. You are ultimately her mother, and you know best. If you truly feel that she's ready….. Then it's your call."

"Thank you," Naomi said, nodding respectfully.

"Naomi, You do understand that the moment she leaves that tube, she'll require all the things a newborn requires," Maya said, sounding resigned.

"I understand." She said with a nod.

Maya let out a deep breath, "Tell me when you're ready."

Naomi turned and ascended the ladder, and waited by the sealed entrance to the tube, putting on the breathing mask, that she'd need one final time.

"Prepare cloning tube 12 for occupant removal," Maya shouted to the cloning room. "Begin artificial birth conditions."

"What are you doing to her?" Naomi asked, waiting for Maya to tell her it was safe to enter.

"The tube is simulating the condition a baby undergoes at birth," Maya explained quickly. "Reversing this process now would be very difficult, Naomi, I pray that you can bring her into the world successfully."

"I will." She said.

Maya took another deep breath. "She's ready for you."

Naomi nodded, and gently climbed into the tube, and watched as Numa jerked herself awake, her body not used to what she was undergoing.

When Numa saw her, she instantly reached out for her, and Naomi pulled her into an affectionate embrace.

"Hello, Numa." She comforted. "I know it's scary, but its time to bring you into the world."

She felt Numa huddle closer to her, and she could feel Numa's fear. Gently she worked her way up to the top of the tube and stopped only inches below the surface.

"I'm here, Numa." She said softly. "Mommy will always be here for you. So don't be afraid, little one… Because the worlds waiting for you, and its time to be born."

Taking a deep breath, Naomi poked her head above the surface and looked down at Numa, gently keeping her submerged beneath the cloning fluid.

She smiled, blessed her daughter with all the love and affection she could. "It's time to see the world, little one." She whispered.

With a deep breath, she gently pulled Numa into a hug pulling her up and out of the clone fluid. Numa coughed violently as she expelled the fluid from her lungs. Gently Naomi held her knowing that this part Numa had to do on her own. With a final shuttering cough, the last of the fluid was expelled from her lungs, and then she heard it. Numa let out a loud wailing cry the sound of her strong voice echoing around the cloning chamber. Naomi smiled and gently held the crying Numa, who held onto her desperately, the sensations of emerging into this world, almost too much for her to handle.

"I got you." She whispered soothingly into Numa's ear. "Mommy has got you."

Gently she smoothed the sobbing Numa, imbuing her with affectionate and loving thoughts. Quietly she signaled to Maya, and a few moments later, she and Numa were being lifted out of the tube and onto the small platform. Naomi nodded her thanks and returned her attention to her still sobbing little girl. Gently she separated, from Numa and gently looked at her daughter, who was still sobbing her eyes shut tight hiding from the world.

Gently she brushed her fingers against Numa's cheek. "It okay, Numa." She whispered. "Mommy is here."

Numa continued to cry, still terrified to accept her new reality. Slowly, however, Numa began to calm down, and with the guiding hand of her mother, gradually stopped crying. Serval moments later, Numa's eyes flickered open, and Naomi smiled as she and her little girl stared at each other.

"Hi," She said sweetly, gently nuzzling Numa's face. "Welcome to the world, Numa. Mommy is so proud of you."

Numa hummed softly and reached out her little hand to touch her cheek. She smiled warmly and nuzzled Numa's little hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maya reach up with her tentacle and place a pair of scissors next to her.

"Separate Numa, from the cloning tube," Maya instructed gently. "Cut her umbilical cord a few inches from her belly."

"Won't that hurt her?" She asked, concerned.

"No. She won't even know you're doing it."

Still slightly apprehensive, she grabbed the scissors and followed Maya's instructions. The cord severed she gazed down at Numa, who had was now finally free of the cloning tube that she had been dependent on for so long. Numa grunted to get her attention, and she smiled. Then laughing with pure joy, scooped up her daughter and hugged her to her chest.

"I love you so much," She sobbed tears of joy cascading down her face.

For serval long minutes, she sat there, clutching her little girl, gently rocking back and forth as cherished being able to hold her little girl out of the tube for the first time. Almost unconsciously, she began to make her way over to the ladder so she could get down, but suddenly she realized that it might be a little difficult to get down with a baby in her arms. Fortunately, Maya was one step ahead of her and was standing at the base of the ladder, her tentacle already ascending to help her down. She nodded her thanks and allowed herself to be picked up and gently lowered to the floor.

For serval long moments, she stood clutching her little girl, smiling down at her little bundle of joy. After a while, she looked up and saw Maya and Logos standing off to the side quietly, watching her.

Smiling, she made her way over to them and gently presented Numa to Maya and Logos as they stared at the reality that they'd thought impossible for so long. Maya reached out a trembling hand hesitantly, almost as if scared that this was some sort of dream that could disappear.

"It's okay," Naomi said softly, gently grabbing Maya's hand.

Maya stared at her, tears streaming down her face. Naomi smiled and guided Maya's hand, to the little girl she had clutched in her arms.

Maya's fingers brushed against Numa's cheek, and Maya burst into tears, silent sobs rippling through her whole body. Naomi watched as Numa reached up her little hand and gently grabbed one of Maya's fingers.

Naomi smiled, and watched the sobbing Maya, as she processed the reality she'd thought doomed for so long.

"Do you want to hold her?" Naomi said gently, offering Numa to her.

"You'd let me do that?…'' Maya sobbed her voice catching in her throat.

Naomi smiled. "Of course… After everything you've sacrificed, after all, you've done for me, I couldn't think of a more worthy person."

"But…"

Naomi chuckled softly and gently pressed Numa into Maya's arms. "No, buts."

Maya gazed in awe, tears cascading down her face, as she held Numa in her arms. All the time and effort she'd spent, all the children she'd lost. And now she held one of them in her arms. The little girl she thought she'd have-to watch suffer and die. Was now safely clutched in her arms, Numa's beautiful glowing eyes full of life and curiosity. It was too much for her to bear, and the Queen of the Klaxosaurs burst once more into fresh tears.

Numa reached up her little hand and gently touched Maya's cheek, instinctually bonding with the person holding her. With a smile, Naomi watched quietly touched by the displays of love and affection that Numa had for the person that had looked after her for so long.

Naomi smiled warmly, and gently sat down on the bed, letting Maya and Logos spend time with the child, that they'd sacrificed so much for.

"You're so beautiful." Maya sobbed, gently kissing Numa's forehead. "I was so afraid that we were going to lose you. But you held out on us, little one."

Numa let out a small cry and snuggled closer to Maya's chest.

"She's reminds me so much of our firstborn." Logos whispered softly.

Naomi's heart ached as she stared at Maya, holding Numa, trying to keep visions of watching her child die out of her mind. She bit her tongue to keep from crying. The thought of watching her own child die, tormenting her.

As she watched Numa, however, she noticed that Numa was becoming more and more restless. No longer content to sit still in Maya's arms, she began to fidget, letting out a soft whimper. The sound forced Naomi out of her own head, her motherly instincts mysteriously stimulated by the sound. And a few moments later, that whimpering turns into full-on crying.

Maya smiled and gave Numa one last kiss, then smiling, she walked over to where she was sitting.

"She wants her mother," Maya said softly, pressing her back into her arms.

Naomi looked down at the crying Numa. "Nah... She's just hungry."

With a smile, she presented her breast to Numa who eagerly latched on, and immediately began to suckle, with an almost desperate enthusiasm.

"Jeez Numa." She chuckled. "Take it easy, I'm not going anywhere."

"Hmmm, mmm." Numa moaned as she clung to her mother.

Naomi sighed and smiled. "I love you," she whispered softly. Closing her eyes, she relaxed into the bond that they shared, feeling her milk let down as she fed her precious little girl.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked up and gave Maya a small smile. "Thank you for believing in me."

Maya shook her head, "No… Thank you for caring so much. You're more than I could have ever asked for or ever deserved."

Naomi looked down at Numa. "No.. I just finally have a purpose." Hot tears began to run down her cheeks. "And I'm the luckiest person in the world."

* * *

Nine Alpha stood quietly watching as his squad devoured another fallen Klaxosaur, that had fallen victim to their prowling. He stood there almost meekly, watching as his squad descended further and further into madness. But what made him feel even worse was that there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing he could do to help his squad-mates. He didn't even have the courage to refuse to follow Papa's orders. The moment that he and his squad had cleared that cave, a message from Papa had been delivered, giving them their next target. And that's how it had been for the last two months. And the entire time, he had watched his squad descend further and further into madness, the nightmares in his own head, haunting him every time he closed his eyes. He hated this. He hated reliving everything he had been forced to do. The screams of a dying Klaxosaur, crying out in pain, as his squad ripped open its swollen belly, or the sight of little Klaxosaurs, cowering away from the hot glowing edge of his magma spear.

He gripped the shaft of his magma spear, using it to support his weight as he wallowed in his own mystery. He just wanted somebody. Anybody to come and take away this pain. Wouldn't anybody come and put an end to this? Something. Anything. It had to be better than this. Hadn't he done enough?

He hung his head. He didn't know if he could do this anymore. Even for Delta's sake, he didn't know if he had the strength to keep on fighting. He didn't know for how much longer he could keep the flame of his last wish alive. The only thing that kept him for ending it all was seeing Delta's face every night. The only excitement left in his life was waiting for that call. The sound that Delta was looking to confide in him, and wanted someone to assure her that it was going to be alright.

But even he didn't know for how much longer he could keep this up. Because the truth was that they weren't going to be alright. Unless something happened soon. He was going to break.

Suddenly the indicator that he was receiving a message beeped, but when it flashed up onto his screen, and he saw who it was, he almost let out a moan of despair.

Papa's masked face flashed up onto his cockpit screen, the very image of him defiling that little bit of space that he was forced to live in.

"Nine Alpha," Papa said, with almost a smug smile. "Good work on your last mission. Eliminating the target before it has a chance to bear even more of its foul vermin. I wish to see more reports like that."

"You provide the targets, sir." He said, doing his best to hide the bitterness in his voice. "We... We just follow your orders."

Papa grunted in acknowledgment. "Fine point, you make Alpha, but enough of the idle flattery. I have a new mission for you." Papa stared directly at him. "You are to hunt down and kill the entirety of Squad 13, and Plantation 13 should be nothing but rubble when you are finished. But, there is one exception. You are to capture Nine Iota alive. She needs to be punished for betraying me. Also, I would appreciate if you could capture her Stamen as well, but his capture isn't necessary for your success."

"Nine Iota, has betrayed you, Sir?" He said doing his best to focus on Papa's image.

"Yes, she has," Papa said bitterly. "Dr. Franxx put her into a poisonous squad, and she been corrupted by them. It's time we bring her back so that she can face punishment and rehabilitation."

Betrayal, he thought almost wistfully. The idea of it felt so tempting, but unfortunately, he didn't know-how. How did one just betray Papa?

"Where, can I find her…?" He said weakly.

"I'll be sending you coordinates of Plantation 13's search area," Papa said, typing something into a computer. "Unfortunately, the search area is pretty large, but it's the best that we can come up with at the moment. They somehow keep managing to find our spy drones, which is annoying, but I have plenty to spare."

He stared blankly at Papa, not enthusiastic about taking on the task of hunting down, Nine Iota.

"Is there anything else your team requires Nine Alpha," Papa said, interrupting his thoughts.

He shook his head, "No… Papa… Everything will be done as you command."

"Good. I expect to hear good news soon." And with that, the transmission ended, and he was left staring out, at his squad as the finished devouring that last of the fallen Klaxosaur.

A few moments later, he received a message from APE's headquarters, outlining the details of his mission, in print, and providing him with the necessary coordinates to start his search for Plantation 13.

Dully, he stared at the coordinates watching as his FRANXX imputed them into his navigation computer and laid in a course for him to follow.

Resided to this fates, he opened a channel to his teammates. "Nines!" He announced getting their attention.

It took them serval long moments to look away from the fallen Klaxosaur, but eventually, he got their attention. "I have new orders from Papa."

Eagerly they all started forward and gathered around him.

"We are to hunt down and destroy Squad 13. Nine Iota is also to be taken into custody, along with her Stamen, if possible."

"Has Nine Iota, done something to offend Papa?" Delta asked, weakly staring at him with deeply shadowed eyes.

"Nine Iota and Squad 13 have betrayed Papa." He said dryly.

Nine Gamma and Nine Beta, irrupted with indignation and disgust, the borage of hate-filled vitriol almost poisonous to anyone who heard it. He, however, did not join in, disgusted at his squad's lack of self-control, however as he stood there listening to all this poison, he was relieved to see that Delta wasn't joining in. Instead waiting quietly for him to continue speaking.

"Alright, enough!" He shouted, but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, he bellowed. "ENOUGH!"

Beta and Gamma looked at him disgusted, but thankfully they kept their mouths shut.

"Papa has given us a search area of where they could be, which is unfortunately pretty large, but it's the best that we have. Also, it'll take us serval days of direct travel to get to the edge of the search zone."

He watched sadly as Delta involuntarily stumbled, the thought of the pain for not feeding for that long, weighing heavy on her mind.

Mentally he steeled himself hating what he was going to have to put Delta through.

"Is there anything else," Gamma demanded dryly.

"No." He fired back. "Papa's orders ended there."

"Nine Iota…" Beta said, amused. "I wonder if Papa will let me have her after he's finished with her. She may be the very thing I need."

"Nobody is having anybody." He said disgusted.

"Ease off." Beta spat. "She was once your prize."

"I know." He whispered sadly. "And I wish I could take that back now."

"Yeah, but Alpha never managed to claim her!" Gamma cackled.

"Poor Alpha never managed to strip her." Beta sneered. "That gorgeous body of hers. I'd love to harvest her while she squirms naked under me."

"You're sick," Alpha whispered.

In disgust, he sped off in the direction of Plantation 13, Delta falling in behind him almost immediately. The other two eventually noticed and chased after them, with shouts of outrage. For hours they cruised above the surface of the Earth, a red cloud of dust, the only thing marking their passage.

Absentmindedly he gazed up at the afternoon sun, long hours of cruising starting to take there toll. It was then that he noticed it. For a split second, something momentarily blocked out the sun, only to disappear a second later. Abruptly he came to a halt, and the rest of the Nines all frantically came to a screeching stop only inches behind him.

"What is going on!?" Beta demanded angrily.

He didn't respond. As he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something bad was about to happen, but he didn't know what.

All of a sudden, he heard a thunderous roar from directly above him. He looked up, and just barely managed to roll out of the way, as a massive Klaxosaur dragon snatched at him, its talons just barely missing him. Desperately the Nines dispersed, trying to regain some semblance of control, but the dragon was relentless. Immediately it swiped at Gamma, who just barely managed to dodge it. Seeing an opening Gamma dived for it, magma spear raised for a killing blow, but too late. A beam of magma energy sliced through Gamma's arm like a hot knife through butter, and Gamma let out a howl of pain and collapsed to the ground. Mercilessly the dragon lunged forward and with a sickening snap ripped Gamma's FRANXX head clean off, crushing it into a million pieces. A second later, the rest of the FRANXX exploded.

"You bastard!" Beta shouted lunging, at the Klaxosaur.

The Klaxosaur dodge, and swung its massive tail at Beta. Just barely Beta managed to block it, but the force of the blow sent the FRANXX crashing to the Earth, serval meters away.

Delta lunged, the point of her spear aimed right at the dragon's heart. The Klaxosaur swung again with its massive tail, and Delta managed to duck the blow. It was the wrong move. Alpha watched in slow motion as the dragon fired a beam of molten magma energy, right at Delta, and he watched is it skimmed Delta's exposed back. Delta let out a scream of agonized pain, as the nerves in her back her brutally scorched.

"NO!" He screamed, watching as the dragon raked its claws through Delta's FRANXX severing Delta's legs and sending the torso flying from the force of the blow. Single-mindedly he dashed over to the broken body of Delta's FRANXX, barely even noticing as the dragon fired a beam of magma energy at the recovering Beta, who's FRANXX melted and then exploded in one giant fireball.

"DELTA!" He cried, tears streaming down his face as he rushed over to the corpse of Delta's FRANXX.

Desperately he kneeled next to her broken corpse, unsure as to what he should do. If there was still even the smallest chance that Delta was still alive, he didn't want to make the situation worse.

Behind him, he heard the dragon give a roar of challenge and turning he watched as the dragon marched towards him. He knew that the dragon was goading him, so confident in its victory that it wasn't even concerned about any danger he might pose. In despair, he slammed his fist to the ground.

"Damn it all!" He screamed.

Why? Why did it have to be this way? Couldn't the dragon just leave them alone? Delta could be dead or dying, and he was just sitting here waiting to be eliminated.

No! He was not just going to sit here. If there was even the slightest chance that Delta was still alive, then he would defend it with every fiber of his being. He would not let Delta die. After everything that had been taken from him. After all the things he had been forced to endure, this was only thing he refused to back down on. Nothing was going to take away his chance to see Delta again.

He stood and raised his spear in a defensive position, waiting for the blow he knew was coming. The dragon stopped, a few meters away, and stared at him. Again it roared a challenge. But he refused to take the bait. All he cared about was Delta, and he would not do anything to sacrifice her. The dragon's gazed shifted to the destroyed corpse of Delta's FRANXX, and then after a moment, shifted back to him.

Suddenly the dragon swiped at Delta's corpse, with its massive tail. Desperately he used his pike to block the deadly strike, but the force of the blow snapped his pike clean in half, and he was left holding nothing but its pathetic, broken shaft. Numbly he stared at it, his only weapon destroyed with a casual flick of the dragon's tail. But before the dragon could strike again, he kneed in front of Delta's corpse and spread his arms wide. He would not let any more harm come to Delta. No matter what it cost him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow he knew was coming. But it never did. He sat for serval agonizing moments but still nothing. Almost not daring to breathe, he opened his eyes.

The dragon stared at him for serval long moments, and he stared almost mesmerized into the Klaxosaurs glowing golden eyes. After another moment, the dragon nodded, almost respectfully and spreading its great black wings flew off into the air, leaving the carnage it had caused covered in a shroud of red dust.

He collapsed forward, dragging in shaky breaths, as all the tension left his body. He stared down almost numbly at the hands of his FRANXX stained blue from Klaxosaur blood. He didn't have the strength to move anymore. He could just keel forward and die for all he cared. He just wanted this nightmare to end.

"Alpha…." He heard faintly over the comms.

"Delta!" He screamed, the sound of her voice dragging him out of the darkness.

He whipped his head around and saw Delta's decimated FRANXX lying only feet away from him. Hurriedly he crawled over to her and then slammed on the deactivation sequence for his FRANXX. Agonizingly it situated itself into a kneeling position, and he felt his conscience separating from the FRANXX. Dragging his arms and legs out of the controls, he made to dash off but was painfully stopped as the pins that kept the feeding mask muzzled to his face tore at his flesh and kept him anchored to the controls. He let out a scream of pain and rage, furious that yet again something had to go wrong. Could there be one time in his life that something went his way?

He let out a snarl and yanked his face away, the pins tearing long gashes in his cheeks as he struggled to get away. Agonizingly he ripped his face away, his own blood splatter in the cockpit of his FRANXX, as he fell backward crashing to the floor. Almost blind with pain, he struggled to his feet and made his way towards the cockpit entrance, his own blood cascading down his face.

Numbly he programmed his FRANXX, and its hand ascended to the cockpit entrance, stepping onto the palm, and descended to the surface, staggering to his knees, into Earth's red soil. With a groan of pain, he struggled upright and numbly ran over to Delta's FRANXX.

"Delta!" He screamed, banging his fist on the faceplate of her FRANXX. "DELTA!"

Nothing.

Desperately he ran over to the emergency release lever. With all of his might he managed to disengage the locking mechanism and letting out a scream of rage, he managed to twist open the release. The faceplate fell to the ground with a deafening crash, but finally, the door to the cockpit was revealed. Digging his fingers into the door seem, he forced the door open and dashed into the cockpit.

"Delta!" He screamed, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusting to the dark.

"Alpha," Delta's faint voice moaned.

A moment later, he saw her, lying sprawled against the far wall, her body contorted in an unnatural position. Hurriedly he rushed over to her and scooping her up, slumped to the floor.

"Delta." He whispered, staring at the deep gash marks in her cheeks, from the feeding mask ripping free from her face.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at him, her eyes filled with pain.

"I'm so glad you're alive." He said, tears of relief starting to cascade down his cheeks.

"Y-You came back for me." She crooked.

He smiled. "Of course, I did."

She dragged in a shaky breath. "What… What happened to the Klaxosaur?"

"It killed Beta and Gamma," He said, strangely not feeling a thing for his fallen comrades. "But after that, it flew away."

"Good." She breathed.

She smiled up at him and tried to change her position, so she could snuggle closer to him. But strangely, she failed to move. Instantly the color drained from her face, and she stared down at herself, horrified.

"No!" She cried, her voice trembling. "No, no, no, this can't be happening!"

She began sobbing hysterically, her whole body convulsing with wracking sobs, as she desperately tried to convince herself that this wasn't happening.

"Delta!" He cried, his voice cracking. "What's wrong?"

"I…" She choked. "I can't feel my legs!"

He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, and it felt like somebody was squeezing hs throat. He glanced down at her legs and saw that they were twisted and splayed in very unnatural positions that should be supremely uncomfortable.

Gently he leaned her against the wall of the cockpit and gently straightened out her legs. "Anything?" He said softly.

She shook her head.

Moving slowly, he started squeezing and poking different points on her legs. He went back and forth, thoroughly testing every inch, and nothing he did provoked any response. As he got higher and higher, he could feel his heart aching as he discovered the extent of Delta's injury. Nothing provoked any response, even when she insisted that he touch between her legs, and around her backside. Nothing. It wasn't until he reached her waist that she showed any response.

Finished, he stared at Delta. His precious Delta. Who lay broken and maimed, paralyzed from the waist down.

"Why?" She sobbed, staring up at him. "Why did this have to happen to me!?"

Gently he gathered her up in his arms and held her, giving her an affectionate nuzzle.

"I don't know." He said, his voice trembling. "I wish I could just make this all go away."

She collapsed against him. "I never did anything wrong." She sobbed. "Not once did I ever disobey Papa. I even suffered through those horrible injections because he ordered me too. Where did I go wrong!?"

"You didn't." He whispered softly.

"I must have!" She sobbed. "This is punishment for something!"

He sobbed, his tears cascading down his cheeks.

Delta went limp in his arms and just sobbed, not even having the strength to keep herself upright anymore. They sat like that for hours, until all their energy had left them, leaving them with nothing but their own sorrow. When the sun seemed to be abandoning them, the oppressive darkness of the cockpit of Delta's FRANXX, closing in on them as they fought to remain in the little light that remained to them.

They lay there enveloped in their own misery, Alpha only just managing to offer his meager support to the broken Delta. As they lay there, however, he felt something warm and wet, beginning to soak his leg, and with a groan, he realized what it was.

Delta let out a sob of frustration as she stared down at herself, the growing dark spot around her crotch becoming more and more apparent. She lay there, helpless tears of frustration and embarrassment, cascading down her cheeks.

"I hate this." She sobbed, her voice thick with self-loathing and embarrassment. "I FUCKING HATE THIS!"

Gently he held her close, showing his undying support for her, even in her weakest moment.

"Let me go." She sobbed, futilely struggling to wriggle free of his embrace.

"Never." He whispered, tightening his hold on her.

"I just want to die." She sobbed as she collapsed against his chest. "Just make it end, Alpha. I can't live like this."

"I won't let you die." He said softly, gently tucking some loose hair behind her ears. "You're too important to me."

"I'm not important to anybody." She sobbed. "I can't even control my own body anymore."

"You're important to me, Delta." He said, holding her still. "And I won't live in a world without you in it."

Delta collapsed, her face in her hands, her whole body shaking with wracking sobs. "What did we do to deserve this?" She choked.

He held her and looked out at the setting sun, the bloody crimson sky mirroring the landscape it overlooked. "I don't know…."

* * *

Thank you for reading Chapter 21 of The Jian Bird

It took a little longer than I had planned, but I hope you enjoyed. I'll try to have the next one out as soon as I can.

Stay tuned for Chapter 22: Binding Together


End file.
